


A Songbird's Lament

by Mitsuko_Elric, XrosaryX



Category: Altertale - Fandom, Dancetale - Fandom, Mobtale, Undertale (Video Game), Undertale AU - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Female Characters, Gen, Inspired by Six Skeletons One Maid, Linked slightly to Six Skeleton One Maid, Maid/Master, Maidssss, Miss Maid, Miss Maid and Sibling are female, Miss Maid and Sibling are named, Miss Maid's Sibling, Miss Maid's Sibling has heterochromia iridum, Other, Other AUs will appear, RaccoonSinQueen, Six Skeletons One Maid, servant/master
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-09-14 16:45:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9193961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mitsuko_Elric/pseuds/Mitsuko_Elric, https://archiveofourown.org/users/XrosaryX/pseuds/XrosaryX
Summary: Two birds were once together. One bird flew away and the other would follow. Two birds lost and stuck in an endless flight, when will they ever land and find each other again. She knows her sister is out there and she will do anything to find her again. Now she scrambles about caring for six skeletons in hopes to gain some way to reunite with her.





	1. Good Morning~

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RaccoonSinQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaccoonSinQueen/gifts).



> Inspired by RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid!
> 
> Mobtale's creator is in-sideunder/biteghost.  
> Tumblr: http://biteghost.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Blaze  
> Papyrus=Sweets
> 
> Altertale's creator is friisans.  
> Tumblr: http://friisans.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Pops  
> Papyrus=King
> 
> Dancetale's creator is tea and stars.  
> Tumblr: http://teandstars.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Hip-hop  
> Papyrus=Tango
> 
> Reader and Miss Maid are female and have given names. I do have my own interpretations and headcanons on the certain skeletons which may differ from what the creators might originally have. Again, headcanons and may differ from what the creators may think about their respective AUs.
> 
> Also I would like to thank a friend of mine for helping me pick out nicknames for our new skeleton masters! 
> 
> Now without further ado, let's go! Please enjoy!

* * *

It was easy to wake up right before your alarm rung, a habit you started to have once you worked those long hours of the night back home. Sometimes you barely managed to have your eyes closed for thirty minutes before quickly shutting your alarm off in fear of waking your mother next door. 

She was quite grouchy when she was forced awake too early….

Your fingers lightly tapped the top of your alarm clock before you shoved the blankets away as you pulled yourself to sit upright on the edge your bed. A yawn escapes you as you stretch and you glance at your clock once more.

 4:43 AM…

You nod to yourself and give yourself a little chuckle before pushing yourself off the mattress.

You can feel a shiver crawl down your spine and you resist the urge to escape back into the warmth of your bed. The attic you had claimed as your bedroom was quite chilly, but eventually got warmer as the sun shined through the many windows of the room. Your masters had urged you to take the basement as a room when you had first arrived, but you insisted on the highest room in the mansion.

The view had been an added bonus to the main reason you also decided to pick the room. It didn’t hurt that you also got the best view to look out at the starry night before you went to sleep. Living in the city had often blocked your view of the beautiful sky so you appreciated the sight greatly. You quickly made your bed before hurrying to the door towards your bathroom to brush your teeth and take a quick shower before changing into your uniform. Luckily you always had it hanging right behind the door every night before you went to bed.

It made you take the time you needed to change instead of hurrying about and opening the closet in such a rush…

The black dress was quite simple, though you would have preferred to have the skirt a bit shorter.

Instead of the hem resting right above your knees it went right over your legs until it just barely brushing against your ankles. You’ve had a few accidents where you had tripped and had your skirt caught a few times in the doors. On the plus side it was quite charming in its simplicity and wasn’t quite too frilly like the maid uniforms you often seen in costume stores. Your masters had been quite generous to you and had actually given you a few more duplicates with different sleeve lengths in order to accommodate to the different seasons. 

Sadly the skirt length remained long and you didn’t have the heart to try to tailor the skirts to benefit you.

Considering that one of your masters had actually designed the uniform for you specifically you didn’t want to be rude…

Pushing that thought aside you tied the strings of your white apron as you quickly made your way downstairs to the kitchen.  Just like the dress it was quite simple with only some minimal lace ruffles around the edges as well as two pockets carefully made at the sides. You were often teased by your masters that you seemed to have the universe in those pockets as you always seemed to carry little items that seemed oddly useful in any given situation.

The way to the kitchen from your room was quite the journey as you had to go down the long flight of stairs.

Luckily you were blessed to have learned that the long staircase from the attic lead to a door that went directly into the kitchen.

It saved a lot of time and often going down the winding staircase reminded you of a castle tower like in the fairy tales you used to read. Pushing the door open you managed to place one foot on the floor of the kitchen just as you spotted a figure slowly inching towards the stove.

“Mister Pops! You will not go near that stove!”

The figure flinched at your tone before quickly turning to face you.

Pops was the fourth tallest of your masters and was one of the two guilty ones that forgot just what your job was. Before you came along it had been Pops who had been in charge of the majority of the cooking and cleaning though it seemed he had a bit of a struggle maintaining his own work with the household.

Despite you taking up the duties of the house Pops still insisted on taking care of the chores and you tried your hardest to keep him away from helping you.

The hood of his black robe had been drawn up, a way to keep the back of his skull hidden from you when you came into the kitchen. That action was enough to give you an idea he had every intention of remaining hidden before you noticed him. Pops stared at you for a moment before quickly yanking down his hood and clearing his throat, “good morning Songbird! looks like you’re up early.”

Not early enough it would seem.                                     

You made a mental note to try and get up a bit earlier to avoid this. 

Placing your hands on your hips you tried your best to glare at him as the usual smile on his face seemed to falter a bit. Pops was quite generally a gentle person and often times it was hard for you to scold him, but this was your job!

“Mister Pops, as your maid it is my responsibility to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with many other tasks in order to keep the house well-maintained. I also am the one caring for you.”

“but-“

You quickly clicked your tongue as loud as you could before he spoke, “No. Please go wait in the dining room while I prepare breakfast. The others will be down soon and I wish to get a start with the food before you all go about your day.” The tall skeleton could only exhale loudly before nodding, “yes. you’re right. i’m sorry about that….”

You inhaled sharply as you noticed how Pops’ smile seemed to falter a bit before letting out a sigh, “…Would you like to help me set up the table?”

“of course, it’s no trouble at all!”

You’re quick to open the cupboard before Pops beats you to it and watch as he happily hums himself out of the kitchen with the stack of plates.

When he’s finally out of the kitchen you finally let yourself giggle before quickly turning to the stove to start breakfast.

If Pops was up you could only guess that the remaining three of your masters in the mansion would sure to wake up in the next few hours. The last two were still out and would probably arrive just barely a few minutes before everyone else settled down at the table for breakfast. With that in mind you would have to move a bit quick to get everything ready on the table. The six masters you worked for were quite insistent that breakfast and dinner be served at the same time for all of them as well as having it in the dining room.

You remembered a time before when your own family gathered around the table for meals and it brought warmth in your heart at the memory. The clattering of dishes, freshly made pancakes right on your tongue....

Your thoughts were interrupted as you heard the faint whistle of the kettle and you grabbed it off the stove before it got louder.

Now was not the time for memories you scolded yourself as you went right back to work.

Pops had reentered the kitchen to retrieve a few more spoons and forks for the dining room just as you finished making a warm cup of tea. From beyond the kitchen doorway you heard feet dragging across the carpet and quickly grasped the saucer with your fingers before hurrying out the kitchen. The teacup rattled lightly as you sped walked to the person just heading into the dining room. 

Unlike Pops, who was often quite awake so early in the morning, this skeleton before you looked quite drained to be up so early-He was very determined to always be awake as early as his brother-and in his daze even lightly bumped into the door frame as he let out a yawn. You watched as he stared at the door frame before shrugging as another yawn came out of his mouth before allowing his arms to raise up to stretch.

“Mister King!”

The skeleton flinched and turned around too quickly before allowing his shoulders to drop as he realized it was you.

“Ah….Good Morning…”

The greeting almost made your own smile fall from your face as you looked up at your other master.

King was perhaps the most distant of your masters. At least when it came to you.

King spoke quite differently than the other masters who matched him in height and while he wasn't truly quiet you felt like he was holding back his volume on purpose. He always acted skittish around you and often tried to ensure you had some amount of space between the two of you whenever you interacted. You didn’t quite know if you ever did anything wrong, but you respected the skeleton and continued to work around him to ensure he was comfortable.

Even now he seemed to be using the edge of the door frame to act as a wall between the two of you.

“Good Morning Mister King,” you greeted him and offered the steaming tea up to him, “Your Golden Flower tea sir. Made nice and warm for you this morning.”

“Ah…Yes thank You,” King reached out slowly and took the teacup from you, “If it’s not too much trouble could you-“

“I will be sure to have your usual afternoon tea ready for you in the library,” you quickly told him and gave him a smile, “If possible would you like something to snack on as well Mister King?”

“If…It isn’t too much trouble,” King replied as he seemed a bit surprised at your offer. Again you can feel the edge of your lips slightly tug downward, but you quickly nodded, “It is never too much trouble for me Mister King. Do you have any preferences at all?”

King only shook his head before offering you a small smile which made your heart jump happily at the sight.

“None at all, but if you could perhaps make some cookies? Those cookies you made a few days ago were quite good.”

“Not a problem at all!”

King could only nod towards you before quickly ducking into the dining room allowing you to exhale loudly. Perhaps one day you could speak to King without you both feeling so….tense…

Making your way back to the kitchen you nearly collided into another one of your masters who took a hold of your hand before you fell. You let out a laugh as you were suddenly pulled close and dipped low, a strong bony arm your only support as you allowed your head to tip back.

“A good morning to you Mister Tango!”

“MORNING GREETINGS TO YOU LOVELY MADAME!” The skeleton who held you quickly helped you up and bowed, “QUITE LIGHT ON YOUR FEET THIS EARLY? YOU ALWAYS SEEM TO IMPRESS ME SO MUCH!” You laughed at your master’s praise before giving him a quick curtsy, “Mister Tango you know that I’m not quite as skilled as you. Ah! I’m taking your time, breakfast will be finished quite soon.”

“AH BUT OF COURSE!" Tango began to head towards the dining room before quickly turning around to face you again, "RIGHT IF IT ISN’T TOO MUCH TROUBLE-“

“I’ll be certain that your brother will get his coffee right away,” you quickly urge your master towards the dining room before letting out a gasp as your arm was grabbed by the skeleton. You were quickly spun around and given a hug that left you yelping a bit as your feet were lifted just a few inches off the ground.

“WONDERFUL! THANK YOU SO MUCH!”

You laughed as your master carefully set you back down before doing a little bit of a slide into the dining room.

Tango was quite energetic in the morning much like Pops was, but his energy seemed endless as you barely saw him not stand still. He paced around quite a bit when he was left alone in a room and his job as a dance instructor only mirrored that large amount of energy. Whenever he ran into you at home you were often grabbed by him before finding yourself in a dip or twirling about the room with you both laughing.

You quickly snapped out of your thoughts and returned back to the kitchen to spot Pops back at the stove.

“Mister Pops!” 

“only the pancakes!” he quickly protested as he dashed by you with a large platter of the warm batch towards the dining room, “i’ll be with the others! i won't help anymore!”

You let out a sigh before rubbing at your temples; you really shouldn’t have let him help you. Yet when you saw him give you that look you bit your tongue and practically let him do half of your job. It only reminded you of how it use to be when you were younger...

Shaking your head you threw yourself back into cooking the rest of the food.

Right as you were pouring coffee into a mug you heard footsteps beyond the kitchen door. This time though it was much clumsier compared to King's slow trudge down the hallway. These footsteps had no even stepping and you could faintly hear the person bumping into the wall before letting out a low groan. Turning off the last burner you ran out of the door and reached an arm out to stop your master from falling face first into the carpet.

“Good morning Mister Hip-hop.”

His eye sockets widen in surprise at your arm in front of his chest before letting out a chuckle which was soon cut off by a loud yawn.

“morning songbird….what up?”

Hip-hop could only look up at you with half closed sockets as you tried your hardest not to frown at his state. Lately he had been coming home later in the evenings and on almost many occasions missed breakfast due to oversleeping. Tango had proposed that you make him coffee right away to perk him up, but even you noticed that the dose of caffeine in the morning wasn’t doing the trick.

Biting your tongue lightly you offered the steaming mug of coffee towards him with a smile, “Here you go Mister Hop-hop, I added more sugar and cream this time.”

His eye lights seemed to shine brighter as he immediately took the mug from your hands and took a long swig. Instantly his body seemed to straighten up a bit more and his grin grew as he looked at you, “gee thanks birdie. i…i really needed this.”

“Please thank Mister Tango…He was quite worried about you lately,” you nodded towards the dining room, “Perhaps you should hurry. He seems quite excited today for some reason.”

“heh heh, ah. got it songbird. he’s probably getting some more students today,” Hip-hop replied and took one last swig of his coffee before giving you a nod, “thanks again though birdie. i really needed this. i feel a bit chirpy already!"

Thank goodness it was him doing the puns early at least...You watch him head to the dining room in silence as your thoughts began to nudge at your brain. The familiar nagging to question him rose as questions began to form.

Why was he so tired?

Was he staying late because of something?

Didn’t he know he worried everyone at home?

Should he really be up this early when it was obvious he was too tired?

You quickly shake your head frantically to wipe away those thoughts. It wasn’t any of your concern!

If Hip-hop had no intention of telling the rest of the household what was happening, you yourself had no right to be a worrywart!

Though you couldn’t help to maybe pry a bit more…

You gave yourself one last head shake before running back into the kitchen before 8'o clock.

Just as you set the very last plate of food on the large table you heard the front door open as you took a quick look at the clock on the wall. "I will be right back," you quickly told your masters as you noticed it was 8 right on the dot. You gave a quick curtsy to those at the table before running out to the front door.

Two skeletons donned in bright red and a dark navy blue glanced towards you as you stopped in front of them, “Welcome home Mister Blaze! Welcome home Mister Sweets! Good morning to you both.”

“ey songbird, morning!”

“YES A VERY GOOD MORNING TO YOU DEAR MISS BIRDIE!”

You smile towards them before quickly taking the large coats they had shrugged off. Hopping up you quickly draped each of their coats onto the coat hanger before turning to them again. Your eyes settled on both of their suits as they seemed to still be winding down from being outside all night, “Everyone is ready in the dining room. I’ll be sure to also set aside new suits for you to change into.”

It didn't look like neither of your masters' suits were dirtied or too wrinkled, but you had a faint idea that they would prefer to have much....Cleaner clothing.

Sweets let out a chuckle as Mister Blaze loosened his tie, “AH THANK YOU LITTLE BIRDIE! IF IT ISN’T TOO MUCH TROUBLE SONGBIRD THINK YOU COULD ALSO GET TEA READY FOR ME LATER THIS AFTERNOON? KINGS’ GOT ME HOOKED ON THAT GOLDEN FLOWER TEA!” You took a hold of Mister Sweets' hat before nodding, “Of course Mister Sweets,” you glance over to his brother, “Do you require anything Mister Blaze?”

“nah I’ll be good songbird.”

For a moment his eye flashed blue before looking away from you and you already knew the meaning behind that short sentence. When both these specific brothers stayed out late, they either holed up in their room or tried to be productive. Sweets was much more productive than Blaze was and tried to go about his day as if he hadn't stayed out all night. Blaze on the other hand slept for as long as he could until night came again. The sentence only gave you an idea that he was planning on sleeping in to the late afternoon once breakfast was over and he expected no disturbances.

While others would be concerned about the two's occupation you held no reaction whatsoever. You were quite aware of the two’s job from personal experience….After all that was how they came to find and hire you.

Unlike Hip-hop you had a general idea what the two did when they 'worked' late at night and chose to merely turn obey and listen to their instructions if they asked anything. You took Mister Sweets hat before nodding to Mister Blaze “I’ll be sure to stop by your room later this afternoon with your lunch. It'll be right by the door.”

Blaze gave you a chuckle and winked, "thanks songbird." He and his brother disappeared into the dining room to leave you standing in the hall for a moment. You could hear the loud chatter of your masters from the dining room as you took a moment to tug the edge of your sleeve up to reveal the back of your left wrist.

It had come to a bit of a shock when your masters first saw it, but over time they had grown accustom to seeing it....

Against your pale skin the dark brown and black outlines formed a little bird in flight. Just underneath were the words LARK in cursive letters. You rubbed against the tattoo with a sad smile before quickly covering it. 

"MISS SPARROW!"

"I'm coming Mister Tango!"

* * *

Elsewhere a woman stared out the window as she absently allowed her fingers to faintly rub against the underside of her right wrist. It had been quite a miracle really that no one in the house had quite noticed the mark, but that was thanks to long sleeves and some cover up. She could also thank that whenever her masters did see her in her sleeping clothing they never quite paid attention to the small spot of her wrist she kept hidden at all times.

She was certain no one would react so negatively, but she tried to keep this last part of her as private as she could.

Turning her wrist up and pulling the fabric down a tattoo in bright gold and light brown ink greeted her as she studied it. The ink formed a shape of a bird flying with the words SPARROW carefully placed right under the bird.

It had hurt a lot to get the tattoo, but it had been worth it. The tears and the slight stinging as she held a hand not quite as small as her own as they sat together in the tattoo parlor.

It was a connection.

A reminder that she and her were connected despite the separation.

“MISS LARK!!!”

She quickly pulled her sleeve over the tattoo before grabbing the plate of cookies from the little table beside her.

“I’m coming Master Blue!”

Two birds in flight, but where would they land to find each other again?


	2. Laundry Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Laundry Day~!
> 
> Though...Maybe there's more in the laundry basket other than clothes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again...
> 
> Inspired by RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid!
> 
> Mobtale's creator is in-sideunder/biteghost.  
> Tumblr: http://biteghost.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Blaze  
> Papyrus=Sweets
> 
> Altertale's creator is friisans.  
> Tumblr: http://friisans.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Pops  
> Papyrus=King
> 
> Dancetale's creator is tea and stars.  
> Tumblr: http://teandstars.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Hip-hop  
> Papyrus=Tango

* * *

 You blew a stray bang away from your face as you studied the last of your work.

The long wire between the two trees was long enough for you to place every single piece of clothing you had washed for your masters to hang on to dry. The backyard was quite big, so why couldn’t you use the space in a helpful way for your chores?

Today had started off as a promise for a quiet day for you.

Tango and Pops were currently out doing their respective jobs as teachers.

Tango worked at the dance studio and taught classes specializing in Latin ballroom dancing. Pops worked at a school that wasn't too far away from Tango's dance studio and often sometimes stayed after school to tutor a few students. Their jobs were located in the human city a few miles away from the mansion so you were going to expect them to come home together once their work day was done. The two were not like King who was working outside of the house today in the monster city in the opposite direction from the human city.

As his nickname implied, King had been a ruler when they had been in the Underground and often worked with others who held the same standing as him often in the city. There had been times when he worked from home, but often he was out of the house at least three times a week on business.

Pops had remarked that King could easily do his paperwork at home instead of making the long trip back and forth. Yet King insisted on going to the city to meet the other higher ups and spoke how it was beneficial to keep contact with the other rulers. However you could see how he kept staring at you as you dusted the room....

Sometimes you wondered if he was just lying when using that excuse just to get out of the house to avoid being alone with you…

Hip-hop had disappeared a few hours ago as you left the kitchen after washing all the dishes from breakfast. He refused to meet your eyes while playing with the strings of his hoodie to inform you that he would be a bit late to dinner.

“But Mister Hip-hop why?”

“eh…don’t worry ‘bout it,” he grinned to you before pulling up his hood, “don’t have your feathers all ruffled up.”

You had barely managed to grab hold of his sleeve before your fingers only grasped air.

You had stood there in the hall for a good five minutes before smacking yourself in the face with your still damp hands. Right…Teleporting. The very first time he had done that to you your reaction had been to cry and Pops, along with Sweets, spent the next hour calming you down.

Monsters were full of surprises, but you honestly thought he had disappeared and it had been your touch that made him go. Now you couldn’t help, but get overly agitated when he did that to you. In fact Blaze and him always did that trick on you! Though unlike Hip-hop you couldn't bring yourself to express your emotions to Blaze's disappearing trick...

You had forced yourself to inhale as you reminded yourself that it was none of your business over what Hip-hop did during the day…

Though you already set aside a mental not to set aside a small portion of fries and ketchup in the kitchen. It was better to be prepared that he was going to be late for dinner than not having him not eat anything when he returned...

The only ones in the house now were Blaze and Sweets who you often left alone unless they asked for you. Sweets was probably somewhere in the house and would call you later probably for something. Blaze on the other hand you were certain was asleep in his room….Again.

While you had wished to talk to him about something two days ago, but you knew better than to disturb him when he was asleep.

The last time his sleep had been interrupted it had been pure chaos that left you and many of your other masters to not repeat the incident again.

With that in mind you were left in peace to go about your chores before your other masters returned home.

Laundry had been a huge part of your to-do list for the day and you were going to tackle it even if you had to skip lunch.

Your masters’ clothing was all practically identical, much like your uniform, but you were always met by large piles of clothing if you neglected the laundry too long. So you often tried to do the laundry when the house was not so busy and your masters were gone long enough for you to focus on such a large task.

It also helped a bit that you added a bit of your own laundry to the mix to get that out of the way. Why would you have to wait to do your own clothes when you could just do it with your masters' clothing and separate back into your own basket once you were done.

The breeze gently blew your bangs right into your face again as you let out a groan, “Oh come on stay?” Digging into your apron pocket you fished out a hairpin before brushing your bangs out of your face to the left side.

Hanging out the clothes to dry outside was something you preferred to do than using the two dryers in the mansion.

The backyard to the mansion had no boundaries establishing some form of separation.

Your masters did not build a fence around the land and instead a long line of trees marked the end of the property that soon leads into a large woods area. Blaze had told you that you were free to roam around the backyard and tend to the flowers King seemed to fondly grow around. The two trees you were using to hold up the clothes line was a bit further away from King’s garden, but not too close to the forest.

“you can hang out in the back songbird,” Blaze’s words echoed in your head as you stared towards the darkness of the woods, “but…do us a favor?    **n e v e r    g o    i n t o    t h e   w o o d s…w e   c l e a r? _SONGBIRD?_ ”**

His eye had blazed a bright blue glow and you nodded your head in agreement before he let out a low chuckle.

Every time you saw that eye glow you were brought back to the moment he had saved you…And it always served you as a reminder that his word was law.

Though you were just a bit curious of what was in the woods…

It was so mysterious and a bit enchanting when you managed to gather some courage to just stand at the edge leading in. Sometimes when you stared hard enough into the trees you could see something move…

“MISS SPARROW?”

You gasp and almost jump out of your skin as your trance was broken.

Sweets stood behind you, a slight smile on his face as he looked down on you, “WERE YOU DAYDREAMIN’ ON THE JOB AGAIN? TSK, TSK DIDN’T WE TELL YOU TO PAY ATTENTION LITTLE BIRD?” You resisted the urge to smile as you noticed the slight accent your master had as he spoke. Blaze and him often times sounded like the typical mobster from the old days, but Sweets didn't quite like his accent.

Despite it being rather dashing, at least in your opinion.

“M-My apologies Mister Sweets,” you laughed before nervously giving him a little curtsy, “What is it you need?”

“THINK YOU CAN HELP ME TRY OUT THIS NEW SPAGHETTI DISH I’VE JUST COME UP WITH. IT’S PROBABLY MY MOST WONDERFUL NEW RECIPE!”

“Of course Mister Sweets….But only if you allow me to clean up the kitchen afterwards.”

Sweets flinched at your tone before letting out a laugh, “AH LITTLE BIRDIE! YOU’RE REALLY PUTTING YOUR FOOT DOWN HUH?”

“Of course,” you smile as you took a quick glance at the clothes still fluttering in the wind before following after him inside, “You and Mister Pops need to stop doing my job. I am your maid and maids clean messes.” Sweets only gave you a laugh before ruffling your hair which loosened your hairpin, “Mister Sweets!”

The hairpin was only a black little pin with a gold star and while it held no real value, it was something useful. Sadly you lost track of it once it hit the dirt and you were in no mood to fall on your knees to search for it. You huffed before tossing up a glare to Sweets, “You cannot keep doing this. You both need to understand I clean up.”

“YOU SEEM TO ALSO BE FORGETTING, LITTLE BIRDIE, THAT YOU’RE STILL A LADY TOO! AND GENTLEMEN-LIKE MY HANDSOME SELF-ARE WILLING TO ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES AND CLEAN UP THE MESS FOR SOMEONE AS LOVELY AS YOU.”

Your cheeks are burning at his statement before clicking your tongue, “Mister Sweets, I’m still your maid!” You often wondered if Sweets just wanted to see you flustered considering just how blunt he was. His smiles and over enthusiastic personality sometimes made you doubt what he was really aware of his filter whenever he made so many compliments to you. He had to know what he was saying...Right?

“I’ll try it, but I will need to go back for the laundry Mister Sweets.”

Your master gave a happy cheer as you followed him to the kitchen; both of you missing the slight movement in the forest as you disappeared from sight.

* * *

 “Mister Tango, your laundry.”

“AH THANK YOU MISS SPARROW!” You held up the basket for the tall skeleton to take before offering him a towel. Your master let out a loud chuckle as he wiped at his skull, “How was your day Mister Tango? You look quite flushed today.”

“NYEHEHEH! MY STUDENTS HAVE GOTTEN QUITE BETTER!” Tango announced to you as he gave back the towel, “THEY’VE GOTTEN QUICKER IN THEIR STEPS AND I’M QUITE CERTAIN THEY’LL BE READY TO START-“ You laughed as your hand was grasped found yourself taking the stereotypical stance one would see in the tango.

“DANCING AS TWO FOR TANGO!”

“Bravo Mister Tango, I’m proud of your hard work.” You clapped your hands as he bowed lowly to you, “Now if you excuse me I’ll need to drop off Mister King’s laundry.”

“AH YES YES OF COURSE. AH, BUT…”

You blinked as Tango hesitated for a moment before leaning close, “DID MY BROTHER SAY ANYTHING TO YOU?”

Ah…

You too hesitate and lightly brush your fingers against your tattoo before giving him a low curtsy, “I’m sorry Mister Tango, but all Mister Hip-hop said was that he would be late for dinner.”

“…I SEE.”

Your heart sank a bit as you watched Tango’s shoulders sag before sighing and letting out a laugh, “NYEHEHEHEHE! I’M SURE HE’S JUST MERELY BEING PRODUCTIVE TO MAKE ME PROUD! AFTER ALL, HE NEEDS TO KEEP UP WITH MY MOVES!”

“Of course.”

You can only offer your master a smile before he walks away from you, his steps were slow yet you could see the effort he was using to appear upbeat. Perhaps you could consult one of your other masters about-No.

Again you had to remind yourself it wasn’t your concern unless Hip-hop told you.

What would your sister think…Oh, right. She would be the one to try and investigate the case. You smile at the fond memory of her being pushy to know what was going on at your school when you were younger. She had always been looking out for you and you were certain she was looking out for you now in some way.

Again your fingers brush against your tattoo before you trotted off to grab King’s laundry basket from the bottom of the staircase. You stopped just as you saw Pops lifting the basket before letting out a gasp, “Mister Pops!”

“oops. caught red-handed~”

You tilted your head as you reached the bottom step to stare at him for saying something so odd. What on earth did he-

You resist the urge to slap yourself in the face as you noticed the bright red paint on his right hand. 

“Mister Pops…Do I want to know?”

“nope. just a little paint accident at the art room,” Pops replied before hauling the basket off the floor, “sorry Songbird, but my brother isn’t feeling well. so i'll be the one bringing up his clothes this time okay?”

You felt yourself stiffen as you stared at the basket. That was just an indirect way to tell you that King didn't want you near his room…

He tolerated you coming to him anywhere else in the mansion, yet he refused to allow you come one foot by his room. You could feel yourself feel guilty over something you knew you didn't do, but you quickly grabbed the edge of the basket before Pops left you.

“Do you want me to get him some tea?” you offered as you continued to hold on the edge, "If he isn't feeling well I could make some tea to help him. He seems to like it."

The eye lights in Pops’ eyes shrunk a bit at your suggestion, but his smile remained in place as he laughed, “nah Songbird, he’ll be okay. he’s just not well and you know how he is about keeping others at a safe distance when he isn’t his perkiest right?

“…Of course Mister Pops.”

The skeleton gave you a look before gently patting you on the head as he walked by you.

Sighing you instead made a grab to get Blaze’s basket which you would just place right outside his door to avoid waking him up. Hip-hop’s laundry basket remained outside his room as well along with a note from you to speak to Tango later.

If he wasn’t going to talk, you might as well try the next best thing and try to get him to spend time with Tango.

You had taken your laundry basket up to your room after doing Hip-hop’s and began to sort out your clothing on your bed. The dresses were all carefully hanging in your closet and your stockings carefully arranged in a drawer in neat little folded rows.

The motions you made as you organized your clothes was fast and automatic until you noticed something…Odd.

You were missing a bra…

First your hairpin, than your bra?

You went through the clothing once more before frowning again at the missing undergarment. It wasn’t anything too special, but you could have sworn you had seen it when you properly separated the clothes…

Sighing you set the basket to the side before heading back down to the kitchen, it wasn’t a huge loss….

Elsewhere in the mansion King was staring at the light lilac lace bra at the very bottom of his laundry basket before slowly shoving it under his bed.

No one…No one-Not even Pops, his own brother-would know just where your missing bra had accidentally been misplaced in.


	3. Waiting Up For the Masters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wait for Mister Sweets and Mister Blaze to come back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid!
> 
> Mobtale's creator is in-sideunder/biteghost.  
> Tumblr: http://biteghost.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Blaze  
> Papyrus=Sweets
> 
> Altertale's creator is friisans.  
> Tumblr: http://friisans.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Pops  
> Papyrus=King
> 
> Dancetale's creator is tea and stars.  
> Tumblr: http://teandstars.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Hip-hop  
> Papyrus=Tango

* * *

 “you in here songbird?”

You leaned a bit back to allow your head to peer around a bookshelf to spot Blaze coming into the library. Placing the feather duster underneath your arm you slowly began to make your way down the ladder before answering him, “Yes Mister Blaze?”

Your master lazily waved at you as you stepped down from the ladder, “Do you need something?”

“my bro and i are gonna be heading out soon,” Blaze informed you once he was close to you, “we’ll be here actually early instead of in the morning. think you can handle staying up a bit for us?”

“Of course not Mister Blaze…Should I-"

“nah, nothing to worry about songbird,” Blaze patted you lightly on the side of your arm as he began to walk out of the library, “just keep that sewing kit out.”

You nodded at his request before giving him a curtsy, “Be safe Mister Blaze.”

Your master chuckled a bit before tipping his hat towards you, “don’t we always birdie?” A laugh nervously came out at his words as you hesitated on giving him a smile back. The ‘work’ Sweets and Blaze were involved in wasn’t bad…At least not from what you remember. It hadn't been much of a secret to the other masters of the house that your hiring was definitely connected to the shady work the two did. Granted they had no clue exactly how you met Sweets and Blaze and you kept quiet about yourself for the most part so it wasn't a big deal.

Still the worry you held for both skeletons was always present when they went to work and no matter how much you assured yourself they would be fine you were always prepared for the worse. "Have more faith in them!" you scolded yourself and lightly hit the side of your head with the feather duster, "They will be just fine! You're just on stand by. Same old, same old!"

Yet you couldn’t stop gripping the duster in your fingers too tightly before turning away to continue your dusting. You climbed up the steps of the ladder until you were at the middle, settling yourself on a step to perch against as you began to dust over the books again.

The library was always the last room you had to clean before you could get started on dinner.

While the room wasn’t used as often, you didn’t mind taking your time in dusting the books. You climbed down the ladder before rolling it over to another bookcase and climbing the steps to the top shelf to start first.

Your mind wondered again towards Blaze and Sweets after five minutes as you thought over what jobs they would be doing tonight. Jobs that involved them going to the human city often lasted to the next morning so it was safe to assume they were going to the monster city tonight. From there you could guess that it wouldn't be a very dangerous job, but you knew that the brothers weren't the most welcomed monsters over in city.

Most of the time to you noticed your other masters never questioned much of what the other two did except King, but you never did hear an argument between the three. Any signs of a dispute were often done when you were outside hanging the laundry or the aftermath when you felt heavy tension in the dining room. Either way you tried your best to keep out of your master's businesses...You really didn't have much of a say.

Setting down the feather duster you lightly pressed the side of your head against the ladder step in front of you, “Should I have the medical kit too?”

You hadn’t used the kit in a long time, but you had something telling you that you should have it out.

Just in case.

You lifted your head from the step before giving the book shelf one last dust and going down a step to start the next.

The rest of the day went smoothly after you finished the library.

Dinner went by quick as it was only four of your masters eating that night and luckily were not at all bothered by the absence of Blaze and Sweets. The pair often were the first to leave right after dinner or were often absent if they went to get an early start at work. Once you were finished cleaning the dishes off the table and spending the next hour washing them, you had started to make something for Sweets and Blaze to eat later.

You were not going to let them try to get out of eating so you wouldn't have extra dishes to wash later.

You did the last of your chores which was only bidding your remaining masters a good night and taking any last minute requests they wanted you to know for the next day.

All that was left was to do now was to wait for your two masters to return home.

You let out a sigh before plopping yourself onto the large beige sofa in the living room. The soft cushions of the sofa bounced a bit as you let your eyes close for a moment as your body relaxed from all the work you did for the day. In front of you was the sewing kit and the first aid kit along with a neat pile of extra clothing for your masters to change into. Sitting yourself up properly you began your waiting game by staring out the window as the sun began to set.

You preoccupied yourself by walking around the living room and rearranging a few little things or humming to yourself before sitting back onto the sofa. It had been just a minute after eleven when you heard the front door slam open.

You were on your feet in an instant and ran out into the hall to find both your masters.  Blaze was a bit wobbly on his feet as he tried to walk ahead while Sweets leaned against the door.

Both of their hats were in their hands and pressed against their chest as they out loud wheezes. As you got closer you noticed that Blaze was missing his jacket and Sweets’ jacket was sporting a few tears here and there on the sleeves. Sweets was the first to notice you before giving you weak salute, “AH MISS SPARROW JUST IN TIME!”

“songbird…h-hey.”

You ignored the smiles they were trying to give you before taking hold of Blaze’s arm and wrapping it around your shoulder to help him up, “Let’s go to the living room, you can both rest easy there.” Sweets let out a sound of agreement as you stumbled a bit in assisting Blaze towards the room, how was it that a skeleton could feel heavy?

That or you were very weak…

Helping Blaze onto the sofa you took hold of Sweets’ hand to help him ease down into the seat next to his brother. The taller skeleton handed you his jacket without a word and you quickly held it up to examine the damage.

The dark red fabric had been wrinkled and you could faintly make out the signs of dirt on the sleeves. The bottom hem was torn and there were a few tears that indicated claw marks when you tugged on the right sleeve to check it closer. Sticking your arm through the sleeve you let out a sigh when you realized that the right sleeve was beginning to come loose, something must have torn right through the seam. Turning the back to face you you could only grimace when you saw a large tear before folding it carefully.

You shook your head as you offered Sweets a sad smile, “I don’t think I’ll be able to mend it back Mister Sweets. I might have to find a replacement…”

“WELL GOLLY, I GUESS I DIDN’T DO A GOOD JOB IN CARING FOR IT. THIS IS THE THIRD ONE!” Sweets exclaimed as he took back his jacket and looked at it, “GUESS YOU’RE RIGHT LITTLE BIRDIE. AND I REALLY LIKED THIS JACKET TOO…”

You gently patted his shoulder before looking over at Blaze who had his eyes closed. The white shirt he had on lacked any dirt marks so it was safe for you to assume it had been his jacket to have taken the damage. He looked worn, but aside from the exhaustion he showed he looked fine.

You would need to get him a new jacket like his brother though…

“I’ll be right back,” you told them before urging the first aid kit a bit towards them, “I’ll go bring you back something to eat. Please rest.” Giving them a curtsy you left the two and went towards the kitchen. It looked like tonight they had gotten into a fight, but you could breathe out a sigh of relief to know they were not injured.

Entering the kitchen you grabbed a metal tray and carefully placed the two dishes and glasses of Sea Tea for your masters. Sweets would probably be happy to learn his Alfredo spaghetti was starting to be your favorite pasta variation and Blaze would just be content with eating something he knew wasn’t  an experiment…

You tucked some ketchup packets underneath his plate as an extra precaution if he wasn’t feeling up to eating it…

Balancing the tray with both hands you made your way to the living room and stopped as you heard your masters speaking.

“-WAS SURE IT WAS A LEAD!”

You leaned in a bit as you stayed as still as you could as the conversation continued.

“yeah…i was sure to, but we were pushin’ our luck tonight. they did give us a bit.”

“I KNOW BROTHER, BUT SURELY FINDING SOMEONE ISN’T THAT HARD. WELL UNLESS THEY’RE A RUNAWAY. IT SHOULDN'T BE HARD FINDING SOMEONE IN THAT SYSTEM.”

“well we can try again next time kay? we still got ways to go ya know?"

You felt your heart lighten a bit as you listened before quickly pushing the door open with your side, “I’m back, and I brought you food!” Blaze chuckled at your words and seemed to shove the first aid kit a bit further away from him as you set the tray down on the table.

Both skeletons had changed into the spare clothing you had brought them and draped their previous worn ones over a chair. You went over to pick up the clothes and placed the bundle over your arms before taking a quick look at the two. Sweets had already began to eat his food while Blaze stared down at his left hand.

he bandages around his hand caught your attention, but he seemed to just give you a shrug as you reached out towards him, “its fine songbird.”

“IF YOU HADN’T GOTTEN LAZY YOU WOULDN’T HAVE GOTTEN HIT…”

Blaze let out a grunt to which Sweets lightly smacked him while you let out a low giggle, “Well…I’m happy to know you’re both okay. I cannot thank you both for everything you've done for me." Both your masters seemed to perk up at your tone before Blaze let out a chuckle, “heh heh…you got nothing to worry about songbird.”

“WE’RE BOTH VERY CAPABLE OF HANDLING OURSELVES!” Sweets’ grin grew, “BESIDES, LITTLE BIRIDE, WE’RE BOTH HAPPY YOU’RE HERE.”

You felt your face warm up a bit before letting your tongue stick out, “Mister Sweets, stop teasing.”

Sweets blinked a moment as he looked between you and his brother as Blaze let out a loud laugh, “eh, bro. let it go, ain’t her fault it flies over her head.”

“BROTHER! DON’T START PLEASE!” You laughed as the room slowly began to become a little less tense before giving them a curtsy, “You both rest. I’ll wash your clothes and I’ll be back later to take the dishes back to the kitchen.” Both brothers nodded to you as you exited the room one last time, a little skip in your step as you felt your spirits lift up a bit.

You knew that your masters were coming a bit closer in finding her.

You were determined to continue serving under them until then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna give a special shout out to my lovely friend, Mitsuko Elric!!
> 
> She's been a huge help to me in the development of this story and she's the freakin' bestie anyone could think of! So special shout out to you~!!!


	4. Hip-hop's Secret Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have to hold your tongue and keep quiet. Even if you really want to help your masters get closer to one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid!
> 
> Mobtale's creator is in-sideunder/biteghost.  
> Tumblr: http://biteghost.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Blaze  
> Papyrus=Sweets
> 
> Altertale's creator is friisans.  
> Tumblr: http://friisans.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Pops  
> Papyrus=King
> 
> Dancetale's creator is tea and stars.  
> Tumblr: http://teandstars.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Hip-hop  
> Papyrus=Tango

* * *

 The clattering of pots and pans echoed from the first floor to the second where you had been sweeping the staircase. The sounds made you drop the broom in your hands immediately ran down the steps and slammed the door open to the kitchen. 

“MISTER SWEETS!”

“AH LITTLE BIRIDIE HELLO!”

The sound of your voice in volume was quite similar to the tall skeleton in the kitchen, but instead of excitement yours was more…Of horror. You could only press your face into your hands as you took in how the kitchen looked.

Sweets was probably the next best cook after Pops, but he was…He was messy…

And by messy you meant a disastrous sort of messy that you couldn’t quite understand. Sweets was a very neat and organized sort of person. He always folded up his clothing for you to take when you did the laundry and you never once saw his room being messy.

However when it came to the kitchen…

There were a number of pans and bowls clustered around the counter, four pots on the stove all bubbling and one overflowing with too many pasta noodles. You swear you saw a few bits of what looked like cheese and carrots sticking to the counter by the sink. The sink was probably clogged by a few stray noodles and probably thick sauce. You saw smoke coming from the slightly open oven and you were pretty sure that the tomato stains on the floor mirrored the ones on the ceiling if you bothered looking up.

“BIRIDE?”

“Mister Sweets, how?”

“HOW WHAT?”

“Just…Just how?”

Whenever you left Sweets alone in the kitchen or he decided to suddenly do a new spaghetti recipe...You honestly had no clue how on earth he could have made this mess all on his own. There had to be someone helping him to make such a mess. A sudden chill ran down your spine as you ran past your master and opened the fridge after realizing that the whole kitchen was a mess. A mess could only mean the waste of food for the sake of this pasta dish experiment and that could only mean one thing...

You could feel yourself biting your bottom lip as you took in the empty shelves inside before closing it shut.

You brushed past Sweets again; ignoring the look he was giving you, to slam open every single door to the pantry to display the empty shelves.

“…Mister Sweets….”

Your master seemed to hesitate a bit as you slowly turned your head to look at him. Granted he was taller than you, but for a moment it looked like he shrank down a bit as you stared at him. “I will be going out to the city today to get the groceries-“

“AH I’LL COME-“

“I will not be requiring your assistance.”

“BUT MISS SPARROW!”

You were hoping to start washing the windows today, but it looked like you were bumping your shopping trip down to today. Sweets as good as his dishes were wasn't worth the cost of the lack of food in the house and the messy kitchen.

Going into the city to buy groceries was normal for you to do, but often you were accompanied by one of your masters since you couldn’t drive.

Sweets had been your go to companion usually, but with what he did today…

“I will be asking another one of the masters to accompany me,” you firmly informed him and resisted all urge to not fall for the large puppy eyes he was giving you. Honestly, how was it skeletons could do that?!

Taking a deep breath in you turned on your heel and stormed out of the kitchen, your eyes closed to avoid looking at Sweets. You stopped by the door, turning around to face him with a tight smile.

“Oh and..Mister Sweets.” You turned your head and lowered your voice as much as it could go, **“Do. Not. Clean. This. Up.”**

The bowl in his hand fell to the floor as his jaw dropped open, “BUT S-SONGBIRD-“

“GOOD DAY MISTER SWEETS! THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU DID!”

* * *

A few minutes later you were settled in Tango’s car as you drove in silence towards the human city. It had been luck on your part that Tango actually needed to go to the city today to get something from his studio. Once he learned you needed to go he offered you a ride, after catching a brief glimpse of Sweets clinging to your shoulders.

Sweets had been completely flabbergasted to learn you wouldn’t fall for his ‘smothering eyes’ or his ‘amazing persuasion techniques.’

If that meant a wide eyed skeleton monster who knelt down before your feet while letting out soft whimpers as he kept his head back a bit so you could stare at his eyes….It just barely managed to work…

Then it took a firm resolve on your part to not look too deeply into his eyes and kept marching yourself out the door as Tango lead the way to his parked car. Sweets had spent the last few seconds of his attempt by grasping the edge of your skirt and you almost toppled down the porch steps.

Thankfully Tango had caught you in time before your face went straight into the concrete…

Blaze would probably scold you later for making Sweets almost cry, but he wouldn’t put it that badly against you. He understood his brother needed to learn this lesson, after all it was your job and he just interfered by 1) emptying out the kitchen and 2) making a mess you both knew he’d cleanup had you not gone into the kitchen when you did.

You jolted out of your thoughts as Tango parked his car by the side of a one story building before cutting off the engine, “HERE WE ARE!”

“Thank you again Mister Tango,” you smiled as you unlatched your seat belt, “Be back here by half an hour right?”

“IT’S ALWAYS A PLEASURE MISS BIRD!” Tango told you as he jumped out of his convertible and ran around the front to your side. You let out a giggle as he easily lifted you out of the seat and you down, “EVEN IF YOU’RE LATE I’LL BE WAITING RIGHT BY THE CAR. CALL ME IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE!”

“I will Mister Tango,” you assured him before you gave him a low curtsy and walked away towards the direction of the grocery store.

The human city wasn’t so big as the city you once lived at and while there was a lot of crowds, you didn’t feel so helplessly lost as you walked towards your destination. A few people gave you a questioning look at you which lead you to lower your head down to allow your bangs to overcast your eyes. Your fingers clasped over your tattoo and you squeezed it until you made out the store front of the grocery store.

You picked up the speed of your walk before slipping in, allowing your face to lift up as you breathed a sigh of relief.

“Misssss Maid hello!”

“Good day to you Peachy,” you greeted the female monster who had shoved a basket back into its place in the rack by the door, “How are you?” Peachy was the owner of the store, a snake monster who wore huge red bow ribbon on her head and wore a pair of dark magenta glasses over her eyes.

“Ssssame old, ssssame old,” the pink scaled snake monster grinned as she slithered back to her register, “If you need help you know where to find me.” You smile as you grab a cart and go down the aisles.

Monster businesses were slowly starting to grow and over time a few stores began to collaborate as a human and monster partnership. The city did have a few bits of dispute and the dividing of the two races was still present, but it hadn’t gotten as out of control as it had in some of the other areas you knew. Smaller cities and towns were often rumored to chase off monsters with violence that only made tensions grow whenever a human ran into a monster in bad taste. There were still monster cities in the area that allowed monsters a safer place away from humans if they weren't comfortable, but it still didn't help there was still obvious separation.

You smiled to yourself as you picked up a bundle of carrots before dumping them into your cart, luckily there had been breakthroughs with the peace despite the slow process. You knew that King had his hand in that while working with other monarch heads of the monster community and often news continued to spread out about the changes.

On the other hand you were very well aware of a more…aggressive approach that had its hand on the relations between monsters and humans. You absently ran a finger over your tattoo again as you thought about Blaze and Sweets.

Both races had done…awful things, but sometimes fighting back in an equally awful way pushed things forward…It was such a double sided sword that you honestly didn’t know which would be the most successful approach.

You paused by the pasta section before reaching up to grab a bag of seashell pasta before thinking back to Sweets back home.

You dumped the bag into the cart before continuing with the rest of your shopping.

Peachy dropped her magazine as you came into her register before grasping all your items with her tail, “Ssssso, anything new?”

You giggle and shake your head earning a huff by the snake monster, “You know ssssome timesssss I wonder if you just don’t like me.”

“That’s silly Peachy I adore you!” you gasp dramatically before pressing the back of your hand to your forehead, “How could you believe I don’t care for you my darling!?” Peachy snickered at your words as you tossed her a wink.

“I know, I know,” she shook her head as she continued to scan your items, “Confidential sssstuff, I can’t know a peep of those mastersssss of yoursssss.”

You leaned against your cart as you nodded, “Totally confidential. I’d have to kill you if I told you.” Peachy instantly burst out in laugher at that as she rang up the total, “You’re assss gentle assss a baby chick dearie.” You blushed at her words before giving the exact amount over and taking your bags off her tail, “But it’s okay, I undersssstand why you have to keep quiet. Don’t overwork yoursssssself my dear. I alwayssss give you a job here with me if that is the cassssse.”

“I promise you I’m not working myself to death,” you cheerfully assured her before giving her a quick hug, “Until next grocery shopping, take care Peachy.”

“Bye-bye my dear~”

You gave her a salute, your left arm wobbling with the weight of the bags on it, before leaving the store. There was still some time to kill before you had to leave with Tango…Maybe explore around just a bit instead of waiting by the car?

Your suggestion soon turned into a decision and you placed all the bags into the convertible.

Tango preferred to keep the roof of his car down and no one in the city was stupid to try stealing the groceries.

With your arms free you roamed around the city with the remaining time you had. Often you stopped by the windows of shops and peered through to look at the displays. Most of the shopkeepers paid you no mind and you were grateful no one looked at your eyes as you window shopped. You had stood a bit away from a food stand debating on what to get for a little snack when you heard music.

The music came from a small corner of the street, a crowd of humans and monsters surrounding the space.

Curiosity came over you and your feet took you over to the crowd.

Loud bass and the hard rhythm of a hip-hop song blasted through the space as you jumped up and down to try and get a better view of what was going on.

Alas, you were too short and you huffed for a moment before spotting an empty bench just a few feet away. It was made of cement and the blocks were at least big enough to support you as you came closer to examine it. “…Well here we go…”

Shooing off a few pigeons you hopped onto the seat, keeping yourself balanced as you stood a bit on your toes to look over the crowd.

A dancer moved to the beat of the song, their hoodie drawn up to hide their face as they continued to do an array of spins and flips. Their floor work as they shuffled and moon walked effortlessly earned a few cheers in the crowd as they kept moving. Your mouth dropped as you watched the dancer move in sync that you felt that it was instead the music trying to keep up to the dance the dancer had created.

The song finally reached the very end and the dancer did a headstand with only one hand on the ground to balance themselves. There was a moment of silence before the whole crowd erupted into applause.

The dancer righted themselves up and waved to their audience, bowing here and there.

Your hands were beginning to sting as you clapped until you halted as the dancer seemed to be looking in your direction. A familiar blue light flashed your way and in an instant you jumped down from the bench and fled.

How on earth could you have not noticed that worn down hoodie? You washed it a million times, and a million more just like it!

For some reason his stare had made you afraid, as if you had seen something completely private…

The run to Tango’s car seemed like a journey and when your master came out of his studio, he was quite surprised to see your face red as you sat in your seat. Your heart beat did not slow as you both went home, the conversation between you and Tango something you could barely remember as you pulled into the driveway.

He helped you take the groceries into the kitchen, setting the bags down on the one clean surface on the counter before leaving you alone to do the unpacking and cleaning.

Your mind was already scrambling about trying to still piece together what you had seen in that performance.

While you knew Hip-hop enjoyed the music genre he had chosen to name himself as never would you have realized he could dance like that. Tango had often hinted to you that Hip-hop could dance, but you only suspected the dance skill was only just the usual bobbing to the song sort of dance. Hip-hop was lazy and you never would have thought he was so skilled just by how he acted at home with you and the others.

So..So why was he hiding it?

“birdie.”

You let out a yelp and caught the egg carton just in time as you looked to see Hip-hop standing by the open doorway.

His hoodie was unzipped revealing the white tank top he wore underneath, wet marks could be seen at his collar and under the hoodie where his armpits would be. His skull had sweat drops running down his face and while you could have questioned how could a skeleton sweat, you tensed as you pressed your back to the fridge.

“A-Ah Mister Hip-hop hello!”

Hip-hop’s face turned a dark blue as he quickly zipped his hoodie properly before walking into the kitchen. “I um thought you were-“

“please don’t tell my bro.”

….What?

You stared at Hip-hop as he nervously tugged at the string of his jacket, his shoulders raising up and down as he tried to keep his voice leveled, “please…please don’t tell anyone what you saw.”

“W-Why not! You were amazing!”

The blue in his face turned even darker as he just shook his head, “please…it’s…i don’t want him to know.”

But…But why?

A part of you wanted to pry, to urge Hip-hop to be open about his dancing. Tango would be so happy to learn his brother was dancing again. What was there to hide from Tango and from the rest of the household that Hip-hop was dancing.

Yet you forced yourself to swallow the questions and offered him a smile, “O-Okay Mister Hip-hop…I won’t tell.”

You had to shove aside your own personal opinions and force yourself into a professional stance. As the maid you shouldn’t interfere with the ‘family’ affairs…You had to keep yourself as distant as you could.

You saw Hip-hop almost kneel over and you were quick to grab him, but he managed to catch himself as he let out a sigh of relief. “t-thanks songbird…it means a lot..”

“…It’s no problem at all Mister Hip-hop,” you curtsied as you watched him straighten himself out before giving you a wink, “well…gotta break on outta here, catch you on the flip side birdie. i’ll be back for dinner tonight.”

And with that Hip-hop disappeared in a blink of an eye.

You sighed before pressing your forehead against the fridge as you held the eggs tight, “…Lark, what would you do?”


	5. You Know That Look

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You hate the basement...You hate the basement...
> 
> At least...Someone came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid!
> 
> Mobtale's creator is in-sideunder/biteghost.  
> Tumblr: http://biteghost.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Blaze  
> Papyrus=Sweets
> 
> Altertale's creator is friisans.  
> Tumblr: http://friisans.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Pops  
> Papyrus=King
> 
> Dancetale's creator is tea and stars.  
> Tumblr: http://teandstars.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Hip-hop  
> Papyrus=Tango
> 
> Psst! Be warned of the feels!!! Also, writer sucks at thinking up good puns, forgive me!

* * *

 “oomph!”

“Do you need help Mister Pops?” You peered down the staircase leading down to the basement to hear Pops laugh, “nah, i’m fine Songbird! just tripped!” You breathed a sigh of relief that he did not need help before calling out to him again, “Do be careful!”

The door lightly hitting against the little wooden door stopper Pops had used to keep it open just a bit once you moved away. All around you were boxes stacked up in threes and fours, some larger than others while a few weren’t taped shut.

Around this time your masters would clear out their rooms of whatever items they no longer needed and set them all in boxes to be stored in the basement. You often let Pops handle this task as you seemed to be lacking in strength and struggled with carrying the heavy boxes.

You also had a strong desire to **never** go downstairs to the basement.

Your masters never pressed you on the matter and it helped that you had other chores to do when they decided to do this. You had just finished watering the flowers outside and had come in to check on Pops.

You hesitated a moment at the door until you heard Pops walk up the stairs and backed away as the skeleton pushed open the door. Pops’s hood had been pulled down and you could faintly see the sweat on the top of his skull before you offered him a handkerchief from your apron pocket to take. “Mister Pops, should I go get Mister King or Mister Sweets to assist you?”

“nah, it’s all good Songbird. no need to set out an alarm call,” your master assured you before handing back the handkerchief and grabbing another large box, “uh think you can see if there’s any boxes missing?” You nodded and gave him a curtsy before running up to the second floor.

By now almost all the boxes that needed to be stored were down and you just needed to double check to see if any of your masters had forgotten anything before shutting the basement door. It would be open again in a few months to drag the stuff out and giving it away to some charity or sold off.

“Mister King! Mister Blaze!”

You spotted the two a bit down the hall, but hesitated to call out again as you looked between the two.

King was wearing his red robes, the ones he wore for special meetings at the monster city, and was staring down at Blaze with a glare that you swore you saw a bit of red flaring in his eyes. Blaze was dressed in a simple white button down and slacks, but from a distance you noticed that his shirt was a bit rumpled, the collar portion in particular.

There was a sort of heaviness in the air as they continued to stare at each other before you loudly cleared your throat. This time both skeletons turned in your direction, King’s eye lights returning to their normal white color as Blaze’s blue glow dimmed down slowly.

“ah little birdie.”

“Miss Songbird..”

You waved nervously before advancing forward, your fingers twiddling with the lace at the sides of your apron. Had you just stepped into a fight between them?

Oh dear…

You cleared your throat again before giving them a curtsy, “Mister Pops wanted to know if there was any last minute boxes you had,” you explained as you shifted your gaze between the two, “He’s almost done putting everything down in the basement so we just wanted to make sure.”

Blaze shook his head while King frowned, “Not that I’m aware of,” he answered before giving Blaze a look, “…We’ll continue this conversation later today.”

“get off your high **horse** your highness, ain’t **neigh-** ting about it,” Blaze scoffed as King’s eyes flashed red again before he turned to you, “Miss Sparrow, good day. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Of course,” you moved out of his way immediately as he stormed off. You glanced at Blaze who let out a yawn before shrugging, “ **hay** now. don’t look at me like that birdie.” Of course he would choose now of all times to use puns….

“Why can’t you and Mister King get along?” you sighed before holding a hand up, “Wait no. Don’t answer that Mister Blaze…I know it’s too complicated.” A mobster and a king in the same house was like putting a cat and a dog in a room to force some sort of friendship. The two didn’t mix…

Blaze let out a chuckle, “always the smart one huh songbird?”

You could only cross your arms as he grinned to you, “ain’t no worries. king’s just got a huge stick up the ass when it comes to what me and my bro do. we try to handle things as mature adults.” You resist clicking your tongue and reach out to straighten up Blaze’s shirt. As you thought, the collar portion of his shirt was the most wrinkled up.

Did King try to yank him up?

You couldn’t really think King had much of a temper and you never heard him raise his voice to you or to anyone else…At least not as you were aware of. He probably was more vocal to Blaze and Sweets when there wasn’t anyone else in earshot.

Stepping back you lightly gave Blaze a tap on the skull, “Please be more aware that King is…sensitive. I understand it’s hard, you both have different ideals. I just don’t want you both…fighting.”

Blaze blinked at your words before gently holding your hand for a second then releasing it, “…eh. nothing physical will ever happen. king’s pretty soft, loud when he wants to be, but soft.”

“I have yet to hear him yell,” you objected as you lifted up your left wrist and rubbed against the tattoo, “I know it’s none of my business, but I do wish you all-“

“just keep doin’ what you’ve been doing,” Blaze interrupted you before giving you a pat on the shoulder, “don’t worry ‘bout it.”

His accent was heavier than usual and you slumped forward as you nodded, “Of course Mister Blaze…I’ll um…I’ll go ask the rest of the masters if they have anything else.” Blaze nodded as you gave him a curtsy before leaving him alone in the hall.

Blaze needed to remind you often that as their maid you didn’t have to butt into their affairs. Yet didn’t he know how frustrating it was when you watched all the odd secrets and tensions between everyone in the household?!

Hip-hop’s secret dance performances in the human city, Blaze and Sweets going out on late night ‘jobs,’ and King’s own wariness of you and the earlier mentioned brothers was enough to get your head spinning. Luckily Pops and Tango seemed to give you some sense of peaceful balance with their more lighthearted interaction with you.

“I wouldn’t want something from those two,” you sighed as you began to make your way back towards the basement after having taken one last box from Tango. It was small and light enough for you to carry back to Pops.

Inside the box was a bunch of folded up shirts that looked incredibly worn and a few socks that didn’t match with each other, on the top was a variety of worn out sneakers and black dance shoes. Probably something Tango and Hip-hop had when they were in the Underground…

You stopped by the basement door before using the toe of your shoe to nudge the door open a bit. Using your shoulder you kept the door open a bit to peer down the stairs, “Mister Pops?” You leaned in a bit and squinted as you tried to see into the darkness, “Mister Pops?”

No answer….

Was he further down?

You glance around you to see all the boxes you had previous seen before were now gone, Pops worked quite fast if he wanted to. You stare at the box in your hands before looking at the stairs, should…should you go down?

The only exit was the door….

_“…M-Maybe I can set it downstairs?”_

You couldn’t just leave the box in the hallway and it was just one box, it should be simple. Staring at the door stopper, you balanced the box with one arm in order to extend a free hand out to grasp the doorknob. You pulled the door open wide enough to allow yourself some room and used the toe of your shoe to shove the stopper’s edge right underneath the door.

“That should keep it open,” you loudly assure yourself before taking a deep breath and taking the first step down the stairs. Unlike the staircase to the attic the basement had no windows that allowed sunlight to come through and the only source of light was the small bulb hanging somewhere in the ceiling.

You only had taken five steps in when you could feel your knees shaking a bit as you were getting aware how far you were from the door. You could still see the light from the hallway and took in a few more deep breaths in before walking down again.

Each step on the wood gave a creak the more steps you took until your shoes hit the hard cement surface of the basement floor.

All around you were boxes and there was very little room for you to squeeze through to find a suitable place for the small box. You were tempted to drop it right there, but then someone could possibly trip…

The little light bulb in the ceiling flickered faintly as you ventured further in to the room before finding an empty spot for your box on top of a large box in the corner of the room. You let out a sigh before running over and putting the box in place, “Okay, now to get out of-“

From a distance your heard a loud slam and could feel your heart race as you ran to the staircase. The door had been closed shut.

The door…HAD BEEN CLOSED SHUT!

Running up the stairs you grasped the doorknob and frantically began to turn it, only realizing your struggle was no use. The door was locked.

Had Pops locked it ahead of time so that once he was done putting everything away he could just slam it shut?

Had he gotten tired of waiting for you and just assumed that if you did have anything you would seek him out to put it away?

Whether he was thinking ahead or assuming you would get him if there were extra boxes, the fact still remained that you were TRAPPED in the BASEMENT.

Your breathing was getting frantic and your fingers were shaking as you kept trying to jiggle the lock.

No, no, no, NONONONONONONO!

You slammed your fist against the door, “IS ANYONE OUT THERE?!”

….Silence….

“Breathe Sparrow, breathe,” you whispered to yourself before running down the stairs and frantically looking around the room. A window, there had to be some sort of window right? Maybe you could crawl out. 

The light bulb's flickering was getting worse as you began to push boxes out of the way in order to get to the walls of the room. Your palms met cold stone as your eyes frantically searched for some ray of sunshine to peek in.

You went to one wall, and then moved to the next, then another, until you had run around the room frantically in a circle two times before grasping your hair. Your knees were shaking and you could feel your head getting dizzy as you spun around in the center of the room.

No windows, there weren’t any windows!

“What kind of basement doesn’t have a window?!” you screamed as you began to push a pile of boxes down only to gasp as the light finally went out.

Darkness…You were…In the dark.

“No…No…No….”

You were trapped in the basement of the house and even when you had called for help, no one came.

It hurt to breathe and you couldn’t stop the way your mouth opened widely to take in breaths, you were gasping and your body was starting to shake. Had it always been so cold in the basement? You couldn’t stop your shivers…

Through the darkness you could see the piles of boxes slowly creeping closer to you, becoming bigger and bigger and bigger…

You were trapped.

You were trapped.

There wasn’t a way out.

No way out.

**YOUWERETRAPPED!**

“M-Mom!” you cried as you felt the tears slide down your face as you began to reach around in the dark, “L-Lark! Lark help me!” You cried out as your hand hit something and it fell to the floor, making you jump back.

You could only cry again as your back hit something and you frantically tried to avoid being trampled by whatever it was. You heard something rattle in the distance and you couldn’t help the way your mouth fell open to let out a scream. 

* * *

Pops sighed as he weakly scratched the back of his skull after following his brother when he stormed down the main staircase to the front door.

King had gotten into another argument with Blaze…Again.

He sighed as he stretched his arms up, feeling the aches in his joints while he walked back to the basement. Their household was a peaceful one, but that peace had too many tensions underneath the cracks.

He wasn’t blind, but he couldn’t ease out whatever conflict his brother had with the Mob Brothers. King was very stubborn despite what anyone else would say, Pops had experienced that first hand….

His thoughts went to a certain maid of theirs before letting out another groan, “she’s probably ruffling her feathers as we speak…”

You, Sparrow, was by no means just an obedient house maid, you were smart.

Heck you had managed to figure out his time schedule after the first week you had been here and had ruined all his chances of working on your chores. Sweets and he couldn’t be sneaky and he had to give you some credit for being strong enough to resist Sweets’ pouting now. The tall skeleton could put up a good front, but he was just as sneaky as Blaze....

And with that in mind Pops knew you were aware of all the little things in their ‘family’ that made the house divided…

Pops shrugged before tugging his hood up, it wasn’t something to worry over…for now. He would have to have a talk to Blaze as soon as he double checked to see he got rid of all the boxes. Even if King was stubborn, Blaze was in just as much trouble for provoking his brother…He didn’t have teleportation, but he was quite the shot when he could projectile items at the mobster. He wasn't named the 'mother' of the group for nothing.

Chuckling Pops examined the space before the basement door before grinning at the lack of boxes, “ah now i can-“

A scream from the basement jolted him out of his thoughts and he instantly grabbed the door knob to open the door. He could faintly hear the door’s hinges squeaking loudly at his pull, but he could care less as the scream from downstairs had been female.

It was you that had screamed.

Racing down the stairs he noticed how light bulb of the room had finally gone out and instantly his eyes glowed blue while he searched around.

Boxes had been toppled over and a few had their contents spilled out however he was focusing on the faint sobbing from the far corner of the room.

“Songbird?”

His voice got a bit louder as he turned towards the direction of the sob, the glow of his eyes helping him find you. “Songbird you here?” There was a hiccup and soon he found you curled up in one of the far corners of the room where all the boxes had been shoved down.

Your knees had been pulled up to your chest as your whole body shook as little hiccups and sobs escaped you. Your head had been lowered and he could faintly make out how your hair was sticking up in all directions as if you had had it yanked.

“…Sparrow?”

You lifted your head up and he instantly felt his soul quake as he stared at your face. Your mouth was open to let out a cry, one of joy as you began to slowly reach out to him. Tears ran down your unmatched eyes and you stared up at him with such a heartbreaking expression he was instantly wrapped his arms around you.

* * *

_"SPARROW! SPARROW!"_

The cries of someone you loved so much called out to you as you felt yourself falling deeper and deeper into the abyss. You knew the darkness held nothingness, and you couldn't escape. There was no escape!

You had been trapped in a place you couldn't run from, and with that you were doomed. Your breathing was frantic now and the small part of your mind urged you to try and think. Yet you just couldn't stop the jumble of memories from the stopping. You were trapped and-

"....Sparrow?"

You finally looked up to find a pair of bright blue eye lights staring at you and you felt yourself let out a cry as you realized it was Pops. You felt a pair of arms wrap around you and you latched onto Pops as if he was the very last line of your life as you kept crying. Your fingers grasped the thick fabric of his robe as you grasped at his back while you hugged him.

It had been so scary.

So scary.

You couldn’t remember just how long you had been stuck down in the basement, was it only a few minutes? An hour maybe? It felt too long regardless and you began to weakly speak as you tried to breathe again.

The rise and fall of your chest was too quick and you could only let out sobs as you felt Pops begin to pick you up from the floor. His right arm was under your knees while his left held you as tightly as he could next to his chest before taking you both out of the basement.

Your sobbing had finally quieted to soft whimpers and sniffles, you had buried your face into the front of his robe as you both finally made out.

“…Sparrow, are you…do you want me to put you down?”

You shook your head.

“…would you like me to take you to your room so you could rest?”

You nodded your head.

“okay…just breathe for me. deep breathe in, deep breathe out and repeat. can you do that for me?”

You nodded as you felt him start to walk again towards the kitchen and soon up to your room. Silence fell on the both of you as your body twitched on occasion as you tried to take deep breathes.

“…It…It was so dark,” you whispered and tightened your fingers on the sleeve of his robe, “I…I knocked all the boxes down…”

Pops didn’t say anything as he managed to push open the door to the staircase leading up to the attic, taking care not to walk to fast to disturb you. Would he be mad you made a mess of the boxes he already had set up?

“I’m sorry-“

“do not apologize Songbird.”

You were taken back by the gentle tone he gave you as he opened the door to your room, “everyone gets afraid…and everyone has a fear so great, even the mightiest warrior can't defeat it. it's alright. i'm not mad, i'm..i'm just glad i got you out of there.” You could feel yourself shaking, but you felt a light tap over the top of your head. For a moment it felt like his teeth had bumped on the top of your head, but you knew that couldn't be it. Maybe you had bumped against his chin?

Either way you could only slowly lift your head up to look at him.

The skeleton’s smile was present, but his eye lights seemed to be looking down at you with something you felt familiar with before. It just made you feel…Feel safe in his arms and you weakly wrapped your arms around his neck to give him a hug.

“…Thank you.”

You heard him chuckle as he lowered you down to your bed, “rest. i think you deserve a bit of a break, whenever you’re ready just come back down to do your chores okay?” Pops took your hands and squeezed them lightly before lightly pressing his forehead to yours, “take your time. you’re an important person to us all Sparrow…i’m so sorry I couldn’t’ find you in time.”

Your breath went up a hitch as you felt your eyes water at his words before weakly squeezing his hands tightly, “…Thank you for coming to get me…” Pops had always been the one to look out for you even when you scolded him...When you heard those words from him you knew he meant it.

Pops’ smile grew as he gave your hands one last squeeze before walking out of your room. The look he had given you was the same look you had seen before in your sister’s eyes as she was taken away from you.

Protectiveness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very special shout out to 'Seth' in the comments. I hope you continue enjoying my story!
> 
> And another shout out to my dear bestie Mitsuko Elric!!! Your input as I had brainstormed this chapter was a HUGE help! 
> 
> I was on a roll to ensure this chapter get posted up and my eyes are blinded. I was filled with determination to get it done!


	6. Ripples in the Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two of your masters leave on a trip and you reach out to another as the ripples begin to show in the waters...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, if you haven't noticed Mitsuko_Elric has been added as co-author to the story! She is a darling friend of mine who I freakin' adore with all my heart. She has helped me develop ideas for the story as well as being my wonderful editor. She is truly a wonderful person and without her help I would be so stumped with so much, I am eternally grateful to her! Please give her as much love as possible while we both continue on with the story's development!
> 
> Please note!  
> Inspired by RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid!
> 
> Mobtale's creator is in-sideunder/biteghost.  
> Tumblr: http://biteghost.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Blaze  
> Papyrus=Sweets
> 
> Altertale's creator is friisans.  
> Tumblr: http://friisans.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Pops  
> Papyrus=King
> 
> Dancetale's creator is tea and stars.  
> Tumblr: http://teandstars.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Hip-hop  
> Papyrus=Tango
> 
> Also by the way....  
> OHMIGODWEGOTFANART! THANK YOU SETH!!!
> 
> http://2name1.deviantart.com/art/A-songbird-s-lament-fanart-Pops-657484654

* * *

The morning had been…Rough. For some reason there had been an odd tension in the house, more so than usual… 

Breakfast had been silent, save for a few words exchanged between you and Pops about what he would like to bring to work for lunch.

Tango was staring down at Hip-hop who was avoiding his gaze, and King…

King had loudly slammed his mug of tea down before declaring he was going to work for the day as Blaze snorted from his seat. Sweets was even glaring at King as he tossed them both a look before leaving the dining room. You had immediately jumped at the chance to grab any empty plate you could from the table before running back to safety to the kitchen as Pops cleared his throat loudly.

You were used to the odd atmosphere, but it wasn’t as intense as it had been this morning.

Pops had merely assured you it would blow over as it normally did, as he and Tango left for work. You weren’t quite sure yourself, but you nodded to the much wiser skeleton before bidding him a goodbye and going inside the house. Today you would be doing the laundry again and vacuuming the whole house.

The plan was to let the clothes dry out and grab them once you finished vacuuming inside.

You had managed to get to the second floor when you noticed the skies starting to darken just a bit. Instantly, you were running to the backyard and yanking all the clothes back inside as fast as you could before the first rain drop hit you right in the face.

“…AHHHH!!!”

The screaming was ridiculous, but you were certain that given the circumstances of your crappy luck-oooh Pops would kill you if he heard that-you had enough right to do so. You knew that you looked silly running across the backyard with large baskets of clothing that was piled up high.

But damn it all, your hard work had to be ruined by Mother Nature!

You had managed to get only three of the four basketfuls of laundry in when the first few drops of rain finally came down from the heavens. Immediately you broke into a sprint with the last basket to get the remaining clothes off the line and inside.

You stumbled over your feet, skidding a bit on the wet grass as you tried to run a bit faster. Mud was starting to form beneath your feet and you used one hand to gather up your long skirt a bit at the side to avoid the hem brushing against the ground.

Your hands frantically reached up to the last swaying clothes on the line as you threw them into the basket. It was then the downpour got heavier and you let out a cry as you felt the raindrops pelting down on you harder.

Dear lord that rain was cold!

“Hurry, hurry, hurry!” you cried as you shoved the last article of clothing into your basket and let out another battle cry as you ran back into the house. You slammed the door shut as you dropped the basket to the floor, again you didn’t notice the pair of eyes watching you through the trees in the woods….

You stood shivering inside the house, the last basket toppled over and spilling the clothes out on the floor as you heard footsteps dash over to where you stood. “MISS SONGBIRD ARE YOU OKA-WHY ARE YOU WET?”

Sweets, oh darling, dear Mister Sweets….

“I got caught in the rain Mister Sweets,” you informed him as you finally moved forward to search for a dry towel to use. You might have to wash it again, but you were not going to catch a cold. Grabbing the small towel from one basket you patted at your face lightly before tossing it to the fourth basket.

The clothing from the basket was still wet and you could see puddles of water on the floor, from you and the clothes.

 _“Guess this pile will be going to the dryer,”_ you told yourself as you gathered the clothes up from the floor and back into the basket. Once that was done you grasped the handles and hoisted the load up, minding that you walked around Sweets as he continued to watch you.

Sweets followed after you as you started to make your way to the laundry room, “What do you need Mister Sweets?”

“AH YES. ACTUALLY, I WANTED TO INFORM YOU THAT MY BROTHER AND I WILL BE VISITING A FEW RELATIVES OF OURS IN ANOTHER CITY. IT’LL PROBABLY JUST BE FOR TWO DAYS.”

“Oh! Visiting relatives?” You dropped the basket down to the floor as you opened the dryer, “What sort of relatives? Are they skeletons like you?”

Seeing as how each of your masters was paired up as brothers you often wondered if they had more relatives. Blaze had hinted to you that there were more of them, but never specified what he meant exactly. You could only assume it had to do with each of your masters’ near identical appearances, but totally different personalities.

Now that you thought carefully over it… There had been a few times you had to do a double take on a few monsters in the monster city. Perhaps it wasn’t a true coincidence…?

Sweets laughs at your eagerness as he watches you push the damp clothing into the dryer, “WELL….THEY ARE AND AREN’T OUR RELATIVES, IN A SENSE. WE ARE ALL SKELETONS OF COURSE. WE JUST SEE ‘EM TO MAKE SURE THEY KNOW WE AIN’T DEAD YET.”

Odd, Sweets’ accent sounded much thicker than usual…

You ignore that nagging feeling to press for more details before giving Sweets a smile, “Do you need assistance in packing?”

“NAH LITTLE BIRDIE, WE GOT IT COVERED,” your tall master grinned before letting out a nervous laugh, “EH, THOUGH IT WOULDN’T HURT IF YOU…SEE US OFF?”

A smile came to your face as you watched Sweets tug at his tie a bit while he waited for your answer. Honestly….

There were times you often wondered if Sweets was aware that when he humbled himself a bit that it was utterly adorable. You laughed and gave him a curtsy, “I would never be so silly not to, Mister Sweets. I’ll be right at the door to bid you both a safe trip.” Sweets seemed to perk up at your words before eagerly ruffling your hair.

“Mister Sweets!”

“WHAT’S WRONG LITTLE BIRDIE? ALL…RUFFLED UP?”

You let out a huff as you threw a still damp shirt at your master, the throw hitting him in the face, “Stop teasing me Mister Sweets! Your filter is horrible!”

Sweets let out a startled yelp as the shirt hit him, and wiped his face dry with his sleeve, “FILTER? WHAT FILTER?” You pouted as best as you could before returning to the laundry as Sweets let out a low chuckle before leaving you alone.

You lightly patted at your damp hair again with another towel before looking at your tattoo. “I wonder if they get along well with their relatives,” you wondered out loud before returning to the laundry. You had really wanted to press Sweets for more information about his extended skeleton ‘family,’ but you managed to reign yourself in time.

Blaze had warned you to keep yourself in place and just work.

That was your job after all.

You had to ignore everything brewing around the house and just keep yourself in place.

“….But it’s easier said than done!” you shouted as you angrily threw the towel down into the basket, “Doesn’t he know how much a person can take?!” You really wondered if Blaze just liked to watch you squirm…Shaking your head you forced yourself to complete the laundry, folding the remaining, dry clothing as you waited for the dryer to stop.

The setback had you late to make dinner, Pops barely beating you to the kitchen as you gave him a scowl. Your master just gave you a chuckle before lightly tapping you on the forehead, “almost won this time Songbird.”

“Mister Pops, no.”

“mister pops, yes.”

Your cheeks felt warmer as your master affectionately gave you a squeeze on the shoulder before leaving you alone. That was another thing….After the incident in the basement, Pops had seemed to be touchier with you. Not that you mind it…If only your masters would stop ruffling your hair though!

“so you got caught up in the rain, Songbird?”

“Yes, it’s surprising, how quickly it escalated,” you replied as you began to make dinner, “Often the weatherman is right.” Pops shrugged as he watched you make dinner, “….by the way, Songbird.”

“Hm?”

“you wouldn’t happen to know what’s going on with Tango and Hip-hop, would you?”

You were grateful your face was turned away from him as you paused in turning on the stove, “What makes you think I know what’s going on, Mister Pops?” you quickly replied as you kept your focus on the pan in front of you, “If it’s about this morning, I’m just as surprised as you. They always get along!”

“Hip-hop’s been acting weird lately. i honestly blame Tango for worrying, he’s being staying out late.”

You could feel Pops’ eyes on your back as you silently cooked, “…Songbird, are you sure you don’t know anything?”

 _“I mean if I could tell you I would, but I can’t because Hip-hop would have my neck and Blaze would…”_ You really didn’t want to imagine what Blaze would do if he learned you stepped a bit closer to the line you shouldn’t be crossing…Instead you sighed before giving Pops a look, jumping back as your master was right by your side.

“M-Mister Pops! That’s-“

“Songbird, tell me. what do you know?” It was more of a command than a question.

“… Nothing.”

Pops’ eye sockets widen for a moment before his mouth turned into a frown, “you don’t know anything?”

Your throat felt tight and you wondered if maybe you were catching a cold from the rain as you felt yourself shiver a bit as he continued to stare you down. Managing to keep your breathing even, you lifted your face to meet his, “No Mister Pops, I don’t know anything.”

There was a moment of silence as Pops sighed, and you could feel your shoulders lower a bit as he stepped away from you. “alright…but if you-“

“I don’t know anything Mister Pops,” you quickly reassured him as you carefully began to place the meat into the pan, “I’m your maid…I honestly have no say in these matters.” Beside you, your master let out another sigh before giving you his trademark grin, “alright, alright Songbird…you don’t know anything.” You kept your focus on the frying meat as his hand rested on your shoulder briefly as he left the kitchen, “i’ll let the others know dinner will be ready in a few.”

You could only nod as you felt shivers slowly crawl up your spine at your lie.

* * *

 “Are you certain you got everything Mister Sweets? Mister Blaze?”

“yup, everything’s all packed and ready to go.”

You smile as you handed Sweets his hat, “Please have a safe trip. I’ll be certain to keep everything tidy as if you never left.”

“we don’t doubt it, birdie,” Blaze chuckled as his eye glowed a bit while twirling his hat on the tip of his index finger, “we’ll give you a call once we get to our destination. shouldn’t be a problem since the trip will be short. don’t wanna leave you alone for too long.”

“BROTHER I’M SURE MISS SONGBIRD WILL BE FINE,” Sweets huffed as he adjusted his tie and took his suitcase, “THOUGH… IF THERE’S ANY TROUBLE AT ALL WE ARE JUST A CALL-“

“I assure you both everything will be okay,” you giggled as you offered them a grin, “Besides, we have Mister Pops here. He isn’t willing to let things devolve into chaos.” For a moment both of your masters seemed to halt before letting out a nervous chuckle, “yeah…that’s pops for ya.”

You tilt your head in confusion at their sudden change of demeanor before shrugging it off. Pops was quite the stickler for keeping rough housing out of the house…Perhaps the two had done it before. Either way you picked up Blaze’s suitcase and handed it to him, “You both have a wonderful trip, and tell your relatives hello.”

“AH WELL, WE’LL CERTAINLY TRY, THOUGH…” Sweets leaned in close to you before draping an arm around your shoulder, “THEY AIN’T GONNA THINK WE’LL BE SHARING OUR LITTLE BIRIDE WITH ‘EM.” Your face felt warm and you lightly hit your master on the top of his head, “Don’t be silly Mister Sweets! I wouldn’t leave you for anyone!”

Blaze chuckled as his brother released you and pouted a bit at the spot on the top of his head you hit, “welp, take care little birdie.” You nodded and stepped a bit closer to them both before Blaze had opened the door.

“Mister Sweets, Mister Blaze.”

“HM?”

“what’s the matt-“

You urged Sweets down to your level to give him a light peck on the check as you quickly tugged at Blaze’s jacket to get him close to you to repeat the same motion. Both your masters stared at you in shock as you gave him a smile, “See you soon…I’ll be here waiting for you okay?”

Both their faces turned a dark orange and bright blue respectively, as they nodded before heading out the door. Sighing, you stared at the large oak doors before turning on your heel, unaware of your masters walking in silence before tugging their hats down.

The last of the dinner plates had been washed and you finally managed to fold all the clothing as well as placing them in their right laundry basket. Stretching you began to wander around the second floor pondering what else was there to do.

With Blaze and Sweets gone you did not need to stay up late tonight and all your masters were home….Well…

Hip-hop wasn’t home.

You stopped in the middle of the hallway as you recalled your conversation with Pops and the odd secret you were keeping as per request by your dancing master. It had been hard to keep such a straight face on when you had told Pops of your ignorance. He had helped you out of the basement and you repaid him with a lie…But you really shouldn’t be meddling in their affairs. If you got attached? Wouldn’t that make it hard for you to do your work?

Or worse….What if your meddling made it harder for your masters to get along?

That was the last thing you wanted, but still…

“Lark…What would you do?” you whispered as you passed by the library, only to halt when you heard something.

You recognized the upbeat tune and the heavy use of drums with acoustic guitars. It matched the song Tango often liked to play when he was dancing. Did that mean he was still up? Curious, you grasped the doorknob and opened the door before blinking in surprise.

Tango had cleared out the desks and tables that took up a good portion of the library to reveal a huge space. Your eyes followed as your master seemed to glide along the floor in time with the music. His arms raised up in a perfect arch to form a circle as his feet continued to keep moving even as the song went faster. Tango’s eye sockets were completely shut, his mouth drawn into a tight line as he continued to dance.

He seemed…upset?

Slowly edging the door open a bit more you allowed yourself into the library, keeping as silent as you could while watching him.

The song seemed to be playing on repeat as there was a bit of pause before Tango took a stance in the middle of the room, his arms at his sides as his head tilted up. Again, your master began to glide about the floor with ease. Had he been at this ever since dinner?

Your own body couldn’t keep still as you slightly swayed in time with the rhyme before you suddenly closed your eyes before giggling.

“…MISS SONGBIRD?”

“Ah!” Your fingers pressed over your lips as you realized what you had done as Tango stood in front of you, his body slightly leaning forward yet his arms dropped to his sides. You stared at each other in silence before you felt something nag you to move.

“….May I ask for a dance Mister Tango?”

Your master’s eye sockets widen as you gave him a curtsy, “That is…If you don’t mind a partner.”

In an instant, your hands were seized from your skirt as Tango seemed to lift you up from the door and into the middle of the room, “I WOULD BE DELIGHTED!”

You smile as you grasped his hands as firmly as you could before being lead into the tango. Despite the obvious height difference your master was a good leader, keeping in mind you were very short compared to him and slowing the pace in time with the music. Your bodies were flushed close together, but you two didn’t mind as you allowed yourself to be taken by the music.

Your legs moved as quickly as Tango’s and you could see your master’s smile growing, “WHY, MISS SONGBIRD! YOU ARE INDEED A GOOD DANCER!”

Your laughter rang out through the library as you and Tango allowed yourselves to extend a leg out, lowering yourself towards the floor as your faces came close. You didn’t mind the closeness as a smile came to your face, “Well…I learned from the best.”

“OH? MAY I ASK WHO?” Both your legs straightened up as you lifted your chin up to keep eye contact with Tango, “YOU’RE FAR MORE TALENTED THAN YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO SHOW ME ON MOST DAYS. TELL ME MISS SONGBIRD-“ You let out a gasp as your master spun you and caught you in a dip, “WHO IS IT THAT TAUGHT YOU?”

Your left leg was slightly bent to wrap around his leg as you both stayed still in that position. A part of you just wanted to laugh and shrug, yet another…

Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to just tell Tango something about yourself. He looked so upset that morning and earlier tonight.

Whatever was going on with Hip-hop and him was starting to wear down. You shifted a bit and Tango helped you up as you continued to hold hands, “…My older sister.” Tango stared down at you before quickly letting go of your hand to turn off the music. The library fell into silence as only your breathing seemed to echo through the room. It had finally dawned on you just how little the rest of your masters knew about you, minus Blaze and Sweets.

You were a stranger…But having shared just that little bit of information seemed to have had some effect on Tango.

Nervously, you gulped down the tightening of your throat as you continued, “I…I know it’s not my place Mister Tango, but…I know how it feels when you’re worried about your sibling.” Tango turned back to face you as you began to step to him, with each word you spoke.

“My older sister and I were close,” you told him until you stood in front of him, “My tattoo…My sister has the same, but of a sparrow with my name. Hip-hop…I know you want to know what goes on in his life, but he’ll tell you, in time. I know it’s difficult, but…If there is ever any trouble and you feel like he is being difficult, don’t let it stay inside you.” Your lips slowly curved into a smile as you stared up at Tango, “So… So please don’t think for a second he doesn’t love you. In time, perhaps he’ll come to you…So please, trust him.”

Tango continued to stare down at you as you felt the weight of your words sink in. The skeleton seemed to be shaking before you felt his arms around you, “M-Mister Tango! I-“

“…THANK YOU.”

You blinked as you could feel Tango wrapped his arms tighter around you, “IT’S JUST…I WISH HE’D JUST TELL ME. I DON’T KNOW WHY HE HAS TO KEEP HIDING EVERYTHING!”

“….I know,” you whisper and wrapped your arms around him, “My sister and I…We’ve been separated for a long time. I wonder everyday if she’s okay, if she’s taking care of herself…She’s done things too like Mister Hip-hop does to you. Hides things from me, but it’s not because she doesn’t think I can handle it. She just wants to have the right time to tell me…So Mister Tango, I ask you as a fellow younger sibling…” Tango pulled away from his hug as you lightly placed your hands on either side of his face.

The bone underneath your palms was warm instead of the usual coolness you thought you would feel. You could only press your forehead against his, “Let’s…Let’s always stand by our older siblings. Okay?”

“….YES. THANK YOU SPARROW. AND I’LL BE SURE TO LET YOU KNOW WHEN I NEED A PARTNER IN MY LATE NIGHT DANCING.”

You could feel Tango’s jaw twitch a bit under your hands as you let out a giggle, “Of course, Mister Tango. If it eases you at night, I shall surely dance a million dances every night.” Your giggles rose as his own chuckles accompanied them as you finally relaxed around one of your masters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, THANK YOU TO THE WONDERFUL AND LOVELY MITSUKO_ELRIC!!!
> 
> And thank you all for your continued support! Thank you again, I hope to see you all in the next chapter!


	7. To You I Give...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get Valentine's Day gifts for the masters!
> 
> Too bad sometimes good intentions are often mistaken at the last moment....
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy belated Valentine's Day!!!!
> 
> Hope all you wonderful people had a lovely time with the day of romance. Remember, chocolates! Give a hand to the lovely Mitsuko_Elric and many hugs and chocolates too!
> 
> Inspired by RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid!
> 
> Mobtale's creator is in-sideunder/biteghost.  
> Tumblr: http://biteghost.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Blaze  
> Papyrus=Sweets
> 
> Altertale's creator is friisans.  
> Tumblr: http://friisans.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Pops  
> Papyrus=King
> 
> Dancetale's creator is tea and stars.  
> Tumblr: http://teandstars.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Hip-hop  
> Papyrus=Tango

* * *

 The day had started out spectacularly well. 

Blaze and Sweets were still on their trip, and the rest of your masters stuck with their normal routine. Pops and Tango still went to work at their usual time, King drifted from the monster city to his study, and Hip-hop continued his performances in the human city while staying out all night. Your chores had been completed well without any problems and you actually managed to finish up everything early that night!

Stretching you began to untie your apron when you took a quick glance at the calendar. For a moment you looked away before quickly looking back at it. There was a circle on the date around the day after tomorrow…

You slowly walked over and peered at the calendar before you allowed your mouth to drop. Quickly you shook your head before rubbing your eyes. You squinted at the calendar before looking away for a brief moment, and allowing your head to snap back to stare at it.

Valentine’s Day.

“Oh shiiiiittake mushrooms,” you quickly whispered to yourself as you felt a wave of panic crash down on you.

Valentine’s Day, the day of romance.

The day where lovers frolicked about, holding hands and cuddling up to each other in the still chilly weather. The day where you showed affection to those you held dear to your heart. The day when department stores took advantage of poor saps like you who totally forgot the holiday and didn’t want to disappoint their masters and make them think you didn’t have anything for them!!!

It was as stressful as Christmas and birthdays, yet the guilt to NOT get anything hurt more.

You had been so caught up with work and your masters’ dilemmas that you failed to recall the most important day you had to show your appreciation to your masters!

“One day, I have one day, what can I do?!”

The whole night was spent with you pacing back and forth in your attic room.

You couldn’t go out to the city; you needed one of your masters to drive you. It was also impossible for you to ask the three who had jobs. Tango and Pops wouldn’t be able to drive you back and King….Well, you highly doubted King would want to be in an enclosed space with you.

Blaze and Sweets were gone so that ruled out the other option of asking Blaze to-Wait.

That was it!

There was ONE master you could ask, and he seemed the less likely to ask questions! If he even tried to question you what you were doing you could always use what blackmail you had over him! It was genius!

You smile to yourself before climbing into bed to at least get a few winks of sleep before your alarm rang. You were going to have the best gifts for them!

Come morning, you were in the dining room with the very master you were so sure would be the answer to your dilemma.

 “uh, run that by me again kid?”

Hip-hop stared at you in a mix of amusement and confusion after you managed to corner him in the dining room. It was only him and you now and you wanted to waste no time in snatching him up into your plans.

Pops and Tango had left the dining room at their usual time to head to work, Tango giving you a much wider smile as he waved good-bye to you. You had spoken with him much more after that night and when you two were alone. It felt nice speaking to someone about Lark, and eagerly able to relax instead of being so formal. King had left a few minutes prior to them, giving you a nervous smile as you handed him his lunch. He honestly looked surprised at the food, but seemed to appreciate it enough to give you a few parting words before leaving.

Hip-hop had been the very last to leave and you had instantly stopped him from getting further to the door and backing him up to a corner of the dining room. It was quite a sight to see you using the very slight height differences between you two, you were standing on the balls of your feet to appear confident.

Hip-hop only had a few centimeters on you, but when you stood like that, you could look him fully in the eye sockets.

“Could you teleport me to the city, please Mister Hip-hop?” you repeated and pressed your hands together, “Please, please, please Mister Hip-hop! It is very urgent!”

“….so urgent you actually cornered me in the dining room?”

You pause a moment before pouting, “It was the only way to stop you before you go away too. Mister Tango and Mister Pops have work, Mister King most definitely wouldn’t want me in his car and he has work too….So you’re the most reliable one, Mister Hip-hop.”

A light blue color appeared on his cheekbones at your words as he tugged a string on his hoodie, “uh you sure you want me? couldn’t you just wait on the others?”

“No Mister Hip-hop this is of the utmost importance, and that requires secrecy and stealth!”

“….have you been hanging out with tango? songbird no offense, but if you’re going for intimidation it isn’t working at all.”

“Would you be willing to still teleport me to the city?”

“…sparrow, move would you?”

Ah, you weren’t getting to him! He might be busy for his performance, but this was your last chance!

Desperate you slammed both your hands onto the wall, forcing Hip-hop to press his back fully on to the wall as you stood on tip toes. You wobbled a bit as you tried to keep your balance, but you continued to look at your master in the eye. “Mister Hip-hop, you and I both know you owe me big time.” Your master’s eye lights turned into tiny dots as you continued to speak, “I really, _really_ don’t like pulling that card, but please do me this one tiny, little, itty bitty favor, Master Hip-hop?”

A tense silence fell on you both as you continued to wobble and stare at him, only to realize your actions. While he did owe you, he was still one of your employers. It only hit you now that you were toeing a line that shouldn’t have been questioned, and your worry arose as Hip-hop’s eye sockets slowly narrowed.

“kid are you-“

“I-I’m so sorry Mister Hip-hop! I-It’s just I really need you to-“

Your balance finally got the best of you and you immediately started to tip towards the left, “s-sparrow!” Your arms wrapped around Hip-hop’s neck as you fell to the floor with your master letting out a surprised yelp as your bodies hit the floor.

“Mister Hip-hop! Are you okay?!”

The skeleton monster beneath you stared at you in an expression of shock as you looked down on him. His face had turned a darker shade of blue and you immediately took notice of your positions. Your legs were settled on either side of his body, and while you could look down to see his face, he was leveled right to look at your chest first….

Giving out a cry, you jumped up from him and dashed to the other side of the room, your face bright red as you began to stutter out apologies, “I-I-I’msosorryMasterHiphopIdidn’tknowI’msosorryohgoodnessmeI-“

“….fine. i…i’ll help you.”

Your mouth dropped open as you watched your master slowly stand up, brushing his pants while giving you a grin, “just uh, when you’re ready meet up with me at the front door okay?”

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” Your master let out a yelp as your body crashed into his, your arms hugging him tightly as you smiled, “I’ll get ready in just a moment let me get my wallet.” With that you exited the room with a skip in your step, completely oblivious to the way your master’s face had returned to a dark shade of blue. 

* * *

As predicted, the stores were jam packed with shoppers, and you had a tight schedule to keep. You wanted to get home before your other three masters, and give no hint you had gone out. Hip-hop seemed to not care much about where you went and didn’t pay much attention as you dragged him into one of the large department stores in the area.

Right away, you had agreed to meet up with him later at his usual ‘performance’ spot.

It made things a lot easier for you to keep the ‘mission’ a secret. With him away, you could at least keep your purchases hidden, and him in the dark.

The first stop for you was the section filled with a variety of stuffed animals that carried hearts or did funny little dances if you pressed their hand. You examined the shelves of the toys in interest before reaching out and grabbing a small little frog that held up a pink heart.

You smiled as the cute little frog’s heart had bold white letters making the following phrase, “I FIND YOU TO BE QUITE RIBBITING!” The giggles came out as you automatically thought of Pops.

Placing the frog into the cart you looked for any other animals and immediately made a grab for a beaver and penguin off a shelf higher than where you had found the frog.

The two were the toys that you pressed the button that triggered a little dance and song from them. Ironically it seemed fitting that Hip-hop and Tango would be a perfect match to the two animals in your hands. The one you decided to give to Tango was a penguin dressed in a suit with a bright red rose in his little beak. The little suit jacket had a saying in the back that made you giggle louder.

“YOU DANCED YOUR WAY INTO MY HEART.”

“This is perfect for Mister Tango,” you whispered to yourself and took note that once you press the button that it played a typical Latin ballroom song before putting it with the frog. The beaver wasn’t dressed nearly as flashy, but it wore an adorable blue hoodie with a red heart on the front. Curious you pressed the button and laughed loudly as the beaver moved in time with that old corny song of loving someone.

It was just too adorable and the matching blue hoodie only made it a perfect match to Hip-hop. With the three animals picked, you exited the section with a bit of a skip in your step, happy to have found gifts for three of your masters so easily.

Sweets, Blaze, and King were left and you had a feeling that those would probably be the toughest.

You hesitated a moment in the candy section before slowly pushing your cart forward. This area of the store was crowded and you maneuvered your cart carefully around the people lingering at the displays. You managed to find an empty section and looked at the display in curiosity to find something suitable for the last of your three masters.

Your eyes were drawn to a box of chocolates on display and you leaned a bit closer to the glass to look.

Each chocolate square had an intricate design in colors of gold and red such as diamonds or even spirals. The box itself was a simple square yet the black covering and dark maroon ribbon tied all of it together. You thought about Sweets automatically and smiled.

“Excuse me!”

A rabbit monster in the store’s uniform quickly ran over to you, “Yes ma’am?”

“I would like this one,” you pointed to the box, “Is it possible for me to write a message on the little card attached?” He nodded before handing you a pen to scribble down what you wanted, “SWEETS FOR THE SWEET.” You grinned as you drew a little heart before handing it back to him.

The box joined the other items in your cart and you quickly left the area as you sensed more people would swarm the place as it seemed to get a bit more crowded than when you first came in.

You pondered over what to get Blaze and King, hesitating when you realize that both were difficult to pinpoint what gift to give. Both skeleton monsters gave you limited information about themselves and while they might have enjoyed sweets or little fun gifts, you had a feeling it wouldn’t feel…right.

The cart accidentally collided into a corner of a display and you scrambled out to catch any merchandise that would have fallen, only to blink as your hands caught one of the items. It was a dart board, but unlike the ones that were designs in a circular pattern this one was shaped as a heart.

Ironically the darts were shaped to resemble what Cupid’s arrows would look like, and the little phrase on the plastic was, “Hit the heart on the mark, like you did mine.” You lifted up the board and tilted your head as you examined it.

Blaze had turned up in your mind and you decided to buy it for the blue suited skeleton.

He would probably get a little kick out of it and could hang it up somewhere in his room to kill time when he was bored.

“Now…Mister King,” you muttered to yourself as you began to wander around the store, “But what can I get him?” You didn’t know if he would appreciate more tea or if he enjoyed chocolate. There was so little you knew about the tall skeleton and you pressed your fingers to your temple as you tried hard to think.

Something bright caught your eye and you turned your head to notice a small little stand with roses. The vendor, a mouse monster, peered at you from behind a large vase of roses, “Welcome! Are you looking for something?”

“Ah…Well, I’m looking for a gift for someone,” you replied as you eyed the beautiful blooms, “He’s…a bit hard to find a gift for.”

“Does he like flowers?”

“Yes actually.”

“Well roses are probably the most fitting!” the little mouse grinned before hopping off the little cart and standing in front of you, “Did you know that the colors of the roses convey a message? If he truly likes flowers, he’ll know how you feel.”

You stared at the roses before nodding, “Yes, I think he’ll like it.”

It would be nice for King and maybe you could convey what you felt about him in hopes he wouldn’t feel so wary of you!

“Are there roses that say something along the lines of admiration? Or something similar to that?”

“Hm,” the vendor tapped her chin in thought before gasping, “Pink roses! Yes, pink roses would be the most perfect fit.”

“Pink?” She giggled before running to the little vase displaying a display of pink roses of various shades, “Yes pink. While many people would use red roses, pink roses are just as beautiful to give away. Dark pink roses convey gratitude and appreciation, while a much lighter shade of pink means admiration and showing gentleness.”

You nodded as you thought about King and trying to match what the vendor had told you about the pink roses.

He worked hard and you honestly did admire how he cared so much about making life easier for monsters as well as how hard he pushed himself. You did want to show him your appreciation and gratitude to all his hard work.

“I’ll take them,” you told the vendor as she giggled, “Oh could you put them in a vase if possible?”

“No problem!” She ran behind her stand as you stared back at the roses and smiled, “I certainly hope he’ll like them….”

* * *

 “Happy Valentine’s Day Mister Pops! Mister Tango!” you exclaimed as you managed to get catch both your masters in time before they went out the door.

Hip-hop had received his gift a bit early when he had taken you home yesterday and it was a bit of a thank you to him for helping you. He stared at the beaver for a moment before letting out the loudest laugh as soon as he pressed the button. “well jeez birdie, now i get why you wanted me to take you to the city!”

You smiled and gave him a tight hug, “Thank you Mister Hip-hop. You’re so sweet.” You never saw his face turn blue that quickly and watched as he teleported right in front of you. The departure made you worry a little bit, did you go too far? Though he was quite a sweetheart to deal with your sudden request and let it go as you went off to hide the rest of your gifts.

King had left too quickly for you to catch, but you managed to get Pops and Tango in time before they left for work.

“what’s this Songbird?”

“OH MISS SPARROW YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO!”

“I wanted to,” you smiled as you handed each stuffed animal to them, “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Pops chuckled as he looked at the frog while Tango let out a chuckle as he swayed in time with the little penguin’s dancing. “Well I’ve held you up long enough-“

Two pairs of arms wrapped around you and you giggled as you felt your masters hug you tightly, “you’re too sweet Songbird.”

“I AGREE WITH POPS ON THIS. TRULY YOU ARE TOO KIND TO US.”

“Well, you all are dear to me,” you informed them as they released you, “You both have a wonderful day at work. I’m happy you loved your gifts.” You waved them off as they exited the mansion before closing the door and hurrying to the kitchen.

You planned on giving Blaze and Sweets their gifts directly once they returned, which would be tonight. King’s gift rested on the counter and you picked up the bright red glass vase with the light pink and dark pink roses.

You didn’t have time to give him the gift and you didn’t know when he would return…

“….What if I put it in his room?”

The thought set off alarm bells in your head and you hesitated on the idea as you stared at the roses. You knew you weren’t allowed into King’s bedroom, but leaving the vase outside of his room wasn’t a good way to present his gift.

You wanted to give it to him in person, but you knew that once he came home he would go straight to his room without any interaction with you until dinner. Inhaling, you picked up the vase and hurried over to King’s room.

It would be a nice surprise for him to find, you were just going to run in and out.

“Just put the flowers in and then get out,” you told yourself as you pushed open King’s bedroom door, “Just put them on a table and then run on out. Just put them on a table and get out.”

King’s room resembled more of a study than a bedroom. If he didn’t have his bed resting against the right side of the room, you wouldn’t have known the difference. All around you were shelves of books and a few stacks of papers on the desk. A tray with a teapot and empty mug rested by a laptop and you swore the room smelled a bit like apples.

You shook your head before searching for a place to put the roses and spotted a table right by King’s bed.

It was the only surface without anything and it was in direct line of sight to the door when someone came in.

“Perfect!”

You hurried over and placed the vase down, your fingers gently touching the petals before stepping back and examining it. The pinks stood out well and your heart swelled a bit in happiness at the thought of King seeing them.

With your mission complete, you quickly made your way towards the door and opened it, only to gasp as a skeletal hand grasped the front of your dress to yank you forward. The yank was so strong that it caused you to stumble forward too quickly, your body falling to the floor as you attempted to right yourself.

“WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?”

“M-Mister King?”

The tall skeleton stared down at you, both eyes glowing red as you found yourself unable to speak up. It had been a shock to hear him speak so loudly, but you could feel a heavy feeling in your chest as he continued to stare down at you.

“I SAID WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?”

“M-Mister King I-I was just-AH!”

The heavy feeling in your chest grew and you felt your body slide a bit on the floor until you were further away from King. You were forced to lay on your back as you stared at him in shock as you noticed the red glow surrounding his hand.

Was…Was he using magic on you?!

The weight of his magic rendered you powerless as he slowly walked towards you, the thud of his footsteps echoing through the hall as you let out a little whimper as he came close. King’s face was emotionless and you tried to stop yourself from shaking as he leaned down.

“You. Are. Never. Permitted. In. My. Room,” he lowly spoke as he continued to hold you down, “If I found you snooped-“

“I-I didn’t do anything! I just-“

“SILENCE!”

You immediately stopped talking as he finally straightened himself up, “The others might not seem to mind, but I do. So…If you could Miss Sparrow, never ever go into my room again.” You could only nod your head as you finally felt his magic release you.

King watched as you stood up, your legs shaking as your fingers clung to your skirt, “Now…You’re dismissed.”

Just how…How was it you thought….

Without so much as a curtsy as you often did, you ran. You ran as fast as you could away from King as the tears started to come down your face.

How was it you thought that he was…so kind?

Once you were out of sight, King let out a sigh as he trudged back to his room, ignoring the obvious guilt that was starting to form from doing that to you. It was just that he couldn’t trust you, you were a mystery and while you were obviously a gentle human…You were still…human.

Working with the other monarchs, and still facing problems for the monsters on the surface, King was still distrustful of humans. He was not the only one, but it had been difficult for him to adjust with you around.

You were not vicious or mean, but kind and rather efficient with your work.

He wanted to trust you…He really, really did, but…

Pushing open the door he dropped the briefcase in his hands when he spotted the pink roses resting on his night table, his soul clenching at his mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Tosses more chocolate and flowers to appease for the ending.* Lots of love~


	8. The Visit part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers make a stop at a certain household and it looks like the visit might be a little too entertaining. Looks like another maid's just so done now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A SPECIAL TWO PART CHAPTER DEDICATED TO THE LOVELY RACCOONSINQUEEN'S SIX SKELETONS, ONE MAID!!! 
> 
> Also known as, you put the Mob brothers with Classic, Underswap, and Underfell brothers and see wonderful shenanigans. The first part is told from Blaze's point of view and shifts to the maid of the Six Skeletons, One Maid story. I have given her the name of Lark. Please, please read RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid if you haven't read it!
> 
> Inspired by RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid!
> 
> Mobtale's creator is in-sideunder/biteghost.  
> Tumblr: http://biteghost.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Blaze  
> Papyrus=Sweets
> 
> Altertale's creator is friisans.  
> Tumblr: http://friisans.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Pops  
> Papyrus=King
> 
> Dancetale's creator is tea and stars.  
> Tumblr: http://teandstars.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Hip-hop  
> Papyrus=Tango

* * *

 

“CAN’T FIGURE OUT WHY THOSE CHUMPS DON’T CUT THEIR FRONT LAWN,” Sweets remarked as he and Blaze parked their car just a bit away from the large mansion in front of them, “I MEAN POPS WOULD HAVE A FIT IF WE DIDN’T KEEP OURS CUT.”

“well if you think ‘bout it,” Blaze yawned as he shoved the car door open, “classic’s got like…three lazy bones out of the six of ‘em in there. pretty sure they don’t see the point in cutting the lawn this place. it’s bigger than ours.” Sweets let out a disinterested hum as he grabbed their suitcases in one hand with ease before following Blaze up to the front door.

It had been a while since they had visited their counterparts, or to Sparrow’s knowledge, their ‘relatives.’ While they often sent letters to this household, Sweets and Blaze often had to visit to ensure that they as well as the other two pairs of brothers with them were indeed ‘alive and boney well.’

Blaze snickered as he remembered sending a letter to the household’s much lazier head of the group living inside. It had only been sent recently and he hadn’t bothered waiting on permission to come by, after all it had been a while. Ever since Sparrow had come to work for them they hadn’t visited for about a year, at least.

Sweets let out a sigh as Blaze gave him a look from under the brim of his hat, “what’s the matter?”

“AH JUST MISSING OUR MISS SONGBIRD IS ALL,” Sweets sighed again as they came to the front door, “DO YOU THINK SHE’S DOING OKAY WITH THE OTHERS ALONE? WE’VE NEVER LEFT HER ALONE WITH ‘EM FOR THIS LONG…”

“she’s a big birdie bro,” Blaze chuckled as he took his hat off and reached up to knock on the door, “besides, she knows we’ll be at her side if she sings her swan song.”

“BROTHER NO.”

Blaze just snickered before they stood in silence for a moment as they waited for the door to open. After a moment Blaze raised his hand up again and knocked a bit louder on the wood….Nothing, huh that was odd.

Usually they were quite quick to answering their door to guests.

Well….Blaze didn’t know if they would be considered more as intruders than guests.

The door opened which interrupted his train of thought before opening his mouth to greet the other. He had been expecting a monster…Not a human woman. He blinked and tilted his head to the other who had just opened the door.

While probably any other pair of monsters would be wondering why a human would open the door, the black and white uniform only struck irony to Blaze as he chuckled.

“…well, what are the odds of that?”

* * *

You hesitated for a moment as you heard the loud knock on the door and glanced around the hall for a moment.

Ever since the last encounter from Indigo and Purple, your masters had been quite strict and gave you a rule to never open the door without one of them present. Sadly you were incapable of calling to one of your masters as all of them seemed quite preoccupied playing a loud video game that would drown out your yells, and you were not going to get dragged into their shenanigans while there was work to be done.

You still remembered the last time you got dragged into a game with them.

The knock on the door echoed through the hall again, not impatiently, but a tad louder than the first. You finally gathered whatever courage-and some bits of your curiosity-to finally grasp the door handle and pull the door open.

“…well, what are the odds of that?”

In front of you was a pair of skeletons-surprising, but almost every visitor was-yet their appearances made your stomach clench with unease as you took in their suits. The one who had spoken wore a dark navy pin striped suit, his hat resting against his chest as he gave you a smirk. In contrast the much taller skeleton beside him wore a solid dark red suit as his own hat of a matching color continued to rest on top of his skull. Neither skeleton seemed hostile towards you, and instead, the taller one cheerfully greeted you.

“WHY GOOD DAY MA’AM! COULD YOU TELL US IF-“

“YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!”

You immediately let out a squeak as the red suited skeleton quickly grabbed your hand and held you as you heard the all too familiar screech of Master Black. There was a whooshing sound and you turned your head to see your master’s sharp edged bone colliding to a bone club the stranger had summoned. Red light was glowing and you could feel the usual odd sensation of magic grow heavier by the second as the two weapons ground against each other.

“MY, MY! LOOKIE WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN! HOW YA DOIN’ EDGY BOY? STILL MAKING THOSE RIGHT ANGLES JEALOUS?”

…Whoa, now that was a pretty good.

“HOW DARE YOU ADDRESS ME SO CASUALLY?!” Master Black snarled and seemed to be using all his force against the stranger’s club, “YOU RELEASE THE SLAVE RIGHT NOW!”

“SLAVE? WOW EDGY BOY, IT’S PRETTY HARSH TO CALL A YOUNG LADY THAT!”

Well, now your face was turning a bright red as the strange skeleton looked down at you and smiled widely, “SORRY LITTLE MISSY, BUT COULD YOU DO ME A FAVOR AND BACK AWAY TO MY BROTHER? WOULDN’T WANT TO HAVE YOU CAUGHT UP IN THIS NASTY FIGHT BETWEEN ME AND EDGY BOY HERE.”

“DO NOT CALL ME BOY!”

You let out a gasp as Master Black pulled back a bit, only to take a swing at the other skeleton who in turn grabbed you with only one arm and jumped back until you were out in the front lawn.

Stunned you only held on to the edge of his blazer as he straightened up before helping you stand.

It surprised you at how easily he had carried you with only the support of his one arm, and the action of him helping you down from his hold was quite gentle. He was also dusting off the hem of your skirt, and you blinked in surprise as he gave you a two finger salute.

“YOU CERTAINLY ACT LIKE ONE,” the other teased to Master Black as your master stood at the open front door. By now your master was wielding two sharpened bones as he continued to stare down at the other. The other shrugged when he only received silence before shrugging off his blazer and handing it over to you, “COULD YOU BE A DOLL, SWEETHEART, AND HOLD ON TO THIS?”

“Er uh…Sure?”

“VERY MUCH APPRECIATED MA’AM.”

Ma’am?

Little Missy?

Doll?

Sweetheart?

You were used to Master Red using those pet names yet when this strange skeleton used them it was said so politely. They sounded more endearing than anything you could imagine Master Red ever saying.

It was like he stepped out of some old Noir film as he stood tall in front of you.

From his hat tipped at an angle and the neat white dress shirt underneath his black suspenders he was obviously the prime example of an old fashioned mobster. You cringed slightly as you heard the scrape of bone against bone as Master Black continued to fight him.

The other only blocked your master’s attack with ease with only one club and even let out a chuckle, “THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO, EDGY BOY?”

“sweets likes to push edgy there a bit,” a voice spoke up behind you before patting you on the shoulder, “they’ll be at it for a while.”

You looked over to see the other skeleton next to you, his hat back on top of his skull as he watched the fight before you. “…And you are?”

“eh…relatives.”

Oh like that wasn’t the answer to everything?

“I haven’t heard that we would be expecting you.” You cringed as you watched your master missing the other skeleton by a margin before letting out a hiss of anger as the other flicked his forehead, “Master Sans didn’t say anything to me….”

“me and my bro like to stop by out of the blue,” was the reply before you faintly heard your other masters yell out to Master Black and the other skeleton to stop.

“SILENCE! I WILL TEACH THIS IGNORAMUS THAT THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE-“

“SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE EDGY BOY. TANGO’S A BETTER PARTNER THAN YOU, AND HE’S A TWINKLE TOES.”

You had no clue who this ‘Tango’ was, but the insult had resulted in your master’s eyes to glow a bright red as he let out a war cry and tried to skewer the other with a rain of bones. Luckily it seemed the other had predicted the attack and easily dodged in time before Master Sans spoke.

“  **e n o u g h**.”

That word alone placed the fight at a standstill before Master Sans teleported to stand beside you, “what the heck?” Your felt his fingers dig into your arm and you blinked as he seemed to be tugging you away from the other skeleton.

“wanted to drop on by, classic,” the other answered before chuckling, “so….when did you all get a maid?”

You had been instructed by Master Sans to refer to the two guests as Maroon and Navy, though the two seemed to be going by different names when referring to each other. The one named Maroon was often called Sweets by his brother, and Navy, was called Blaze.

You stood in the living room as you watched the guests interact with your masters.

Obviously Master Black did not seem fond of Maroon.

In fact, there was an odd sense of tension as all your masters and their guests continued to sit in the same space.

The usual scowl on your edgy master’s face was even more pronounced than usual as he eyed Maroon with narrowed eyes. It would seem Master Red shared his same sentiments, but towards Navy, who seemed content giving Master Red a grin once in a while whenever eye contact was made.

Master Sans seemed to be at ease, but you noticed him twitching a few times, whenever he and Navy made eye contact. The same could be said whenever Maroon and Master Orange spoke to each other. Your other lazier master seemed to be gritting his teeth as Maroon tried to say something to lighten the mood. Master Orange only let out a chuckle before his teeth lightly scraped against each other.

Master Blue was speaking a bit louder than usual and Master Papyrus even stayed a bit quiet whenever Maroon tried to speak with him. Even you felt a bit on edge, more than you had with Indigo and Purple. Something about the two skeletons just didn’t sit well with you and the longer you studied them, the more you felt unsure.

For a moment you felt a chill run down your spine as you caught Navy staring at you and quickly itched at the underside of your right wrist.

“sooooo you just wanted to stop by?” Master Sans questioned as he watched Navy sip his cup of tea, “that’s it?”

“OH WELL WE JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW WE WERE OKAY,” Maroon spoke up as he twirled his hat with the tip of his finger before grasping it by the brim, “OUR LAST VISIT HAD BEEN A WHILE AGO. SO WE WANTED TO LET YOU ALL KNOW WE WERE FINE, AND SO ARE THE OTHERS!”

Others?

You could feel Master Sans’ gaze on you, knowing you were curious, but you continued to stare off into the distance in hopes you appeared indifferent. With the few guests you met you were starting to wonder just how big their ‘family’ was.

You would be sure to corner your new guests and ask when you had the chance…

“so when did you all get a maid? a human one at that?” Navy questioned, causing all your masters to tense up, “considering how you all are with humans, i would think it’d be impossible.”

“YOU’RE NOT TAKING HER!” Master Blue suddenly yelled only to have Master Orange cover his mouth nervously. The two other skeletons blinked before looking towards you and looking to each other before, laughing.

All six of your masters including yourself stared in shock as the two continued to laugh, Navy clutching the front of his shirt as Maroon had leaned forward before they finally composed themselves with a chuckle here and there.

“…May I inquire what’s so funny, Mister Maroon and Mister Navy?” Your voice sounded a bit more annoyed than you would like, but who on earth laughed at that?! It was a bit insulting, in all honesty.

“SORRY MA’AM,” Maroon smiled before nodding in your direction politely, “BUT WE GOT OUR OWN MAID BACK HOME. NO OFFENSE, BUT WE ENJOY HAVING OUR LITTLE BIRIDIE AROUND.”

Oh that-

“wait what?!”

“when did YOU lot get a maid?!”

“SHE ISN’T ANY BETTER THAN OURS! FIGHT ME RIGHT NOW! OUR SLAVE IS MORE CAPABLE THAN WHATEVER HARLOT YOU HIRED!”

“OUR MAID IS A LOT BETTER THAN YOUR MAID!”

“bro, get off the table now.”

“OH WOWIE WHAT A SMALL WORLD THIS IS! WHEN DID YOU GET A MAID?!”

Well…You felt a bit of your pride hurt, not that that wasn’t new at all.

Both suited skeletons quickly got up, to all of your surprise, and made their way over to get their suitcases. You quickly stepped over, “Wait allow me to-“

“NO PROBLEM LITTLE MISSY I GOT THIS!” Maroon happily smiled as he picked up both his brother and his own suitcase, “CAN’T HAVE A LADY, LIKE YOURSELF, HURTING HERSELF FOR OUR SAKES.”

You felt an all too familiar heat rise in your cheeks, but soon faded as you heard Master Black letting out a snarl akin to a pterodactyl screech, that seemed to make Maroon’s smile a bit too wide. “WHAT’S THE MATTER, EDGY BOY? YOU DIDN’T LEARN MANNERS IN SCHOOL?”

“I HATE YOUUUUUUU!”

Perhaps there wasn’t much promise that this visit was going to be pleasant…Or quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I did you all justice. 
> 
> Get ready for part 2!
> 
> Please give Mitsuko_Elric love for putting up with me calling Underfell Papyrus, Edgy Boy.


	9. The Visit part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The visit seems to be going...well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter is divided up to Miss Maid/Lark's POV to Blaze's POV!
> 
> Inspired by RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid!
> 
> Mobtale's creator is in-sideunder/biteghost.  
> Tumblr: http://biteghost.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Blaze  
> Papyrus=Sweets
> 
> Altertale's creator is friisans.  
> Tumblr: http://friisans.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Pops  
> Papyrus=King
> 
> Dancetale's creator is tea and stars.  
> Tumblr: http://teandstars.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Hip-hop  
> Papyrus=Tango
> 
> I would like to also place a special shout out to Seth who drew amazing art again!!  
> http://2name1.deviantart.com/art/Edgyboy-SongBird-s-Lament-Fanart-665938425
> 
> As well as to the lovely Mitsuko_Elric who is my best friend in the whole world who puts up with me typing up sillies and angst! Enjoy everyone!

Much to your surprise, aside from Master Black’s occasional scuffles with Maroon, these guests were by far the most tamed, if not normal, you had since Mister Green and Yellow. They didn’t treat you badly, nor did they give you as much attention as the past guests your masters had. You were honestly concerned you weren’t doing your job so well considering the lack of attention you got now.

It just felt so…normal? What had been normal anyway at this point?

Both skeleton brothers showed little interest in you unless it was to ask you something, and interacted with you only when your paths crossed. It was as if they knew just what your job entailed well enough to not interfere with daily chores, on certain notes.

Maroon seemed keen on actually assisting you with your chores, which had taken you by surprise.

“Y-You don’t really have to do this,” you told him as he held the mop and bucket in his hands while following you to the kitchen, “You’re our guest.”

“NONSENSE MA’AM! FROM WHAT I CAN TELL, YOU DO EVERYTHING IN THIS PLACE! GETTING SOME HELP ONCE IN A WHILE WOULD BE NICE, DON’T YA THINK?”

That made your face red for a majority of the time you spent with him that day. Even when Master Black showed up out of the blue to attack Maroon, the red suited skeleton continued to lend a hand if he saw you doing something. It had become obvious that Maroon was physically stronger as he was magically when he carried two loaded laundry baskets with ease. The trip had been quicker for you, and you could appreciate a gentleman actually helping you.

Navy had been considerate in waiting his turn to ask you something when your other masters were around.

He didn’t ask for anything outrageous, and kept himself at a distance when he noticed you were doing chores. He wasn’t helping you like his brother, but he was doing his part in ensuring you weren’t being distracted.

It was a rather nice change of pace….Though you still didn’t feel quite right with either skeleton.

Yes, Maroon was a gentleman and was pleasant, yet you couldn’t shake the feeling his smile was hiding something. Navy wasn’t demanding, but you often felt him staring at you longer than you would like. It was like….They were looking for something, and you seemed to be providing that answer.

It had started when your name was finally spoken that first dinner they had managed to settle in. Master Blue had called out to you like normal as you came in with dinner and you heard both your guests choking on water. They had stared at you in surprise before looking away from you after you went over to them in concern.

Maroon waved you off as Navy only chuckled that your name surprisingly seemed fitting to you.

The way they dressed didn’t help at all either.

While the suits made them look sharp you automatically were faced with the past when you had been separated from your sibling. The whole mobster look only caused you to tense up when you remembered Sparrow’s cries along with your mother’s apologies as you were taken away. You knew that there was no way the two were connected and just chalked it up to unpleasant memories being brought up. The men who took you were dressed up, but there was no possible way the two brothers were connected to that.

You paused in your dusting before looking at the underside of your right wrist, the cover up doing its job well to hide the tattoo you had. Tugging at your sleeve you sighed before turning around and jumping as Navy stood behind you.

“Oh Mister Navy, you startled me.”

“eh, lay off the ‘mister’ okay?” Navy chuckled as he took a step back to give you some space, “just wanted to see if you could do me a favor.”

A favor?

“What can I assist you with Navy?”

“think you could…sing something for me?”

“…I beg your pardon?”

“sing. could you sing something for me real quick doll face?” Navy asked again with a wink, “i mean if you can’t, then it’s all good. our maid back home had this song she loved to sing….sorta miss it, actually.”

You watched as a light blue glow tinted his cheeks lightly before frowning, “Do you miss her?”

“eh…my brother misses her more than me, but can’t say i don’t miss her. she’s a pretty special gal,” Navy answered to your surprise, “heh heh, you’re a curious one doll. classic might have you under his radar, but eh. i don’t mind answering some of your questions…as long as you hold up your end of the bargain.”

Your mouth dropped a little bit at his words, “Wait, you’ll answer my questions? Just after one song?”

There was no way getting answers from this guy was that easy. There had to be some sort of catch like cleaning a mess or flattery to get something so good. Navy just shrugged and nodded his head, “part of the deal. skeleton’s honor,” Navy replied before snapping his fingers, “uh actually, scratch that. there is a song i wanna hear you sing if you don’t mind doll.”

“Of course Mi-Navy, what is it?”

Navy motioned his finger towards you in a ‘come hither’ gesture to lean a bit closer as he whispered the song into your ear making you pull away immediately, “That one?”

“what’s the matter? something wrong with it?”

“No not really, I’m surprised you want me to sing that song,” you replied before tapping your chin and shrugging, “I can sing it though.” It had been….A long time since you sang that song, but you knew it by heart so well. You fought back the urge to smile as your mind drifted off to a time when you and Sparrow sang softly in the dark of your bedroom as you tried to sleep.

“thanks doll,” Navy grinned before waiting for you to sing. You cleared your throat before softly singing out the song…

 

**_“L is for the way you look at me,_ **

**_O is for the only one I see,_ **

**_V is very, very extraordinary,_ **

**_E is even more than anyone that you adore._ **

****

**_And Love is all that I can give to you,_ **

**_Love is more than just a game for two,_ **

**_Two in love can make it,_ **

**_Take my heart and please don’t break it,_ **

**_Love was made for me and you.”_ **

 

Navy immediately clapped his hands when you hit the last verse, “eh not bad. you certainly got a nice set of lungs there ma’am.”

You giggle and you feel a little warm as you take the compliment, “Why thank you, Navy. I’m glad you liked it.”

“and now my end of the deal, got anything to ask me sweetheart?”

“What did you mean by others?”

“right off the bat, huh,” Navy chuckled before sighing, “well if you noticed this little family of ours is a bit big. we got three pairs of brothers living with us too just like this household does.”

So there were more skeleton monsters related to your masters…And they were living together as well?

“if you’re wondering why we’re all not together let’s just say we from our house share a lot of different views than these boneheads here,” Navy added after taking a moment to study your expression, “we live closer to a bigger city, and we’re not shy in going to the place. the humans there are a bit more welcoming than the ones in the town over from here.”

You cringe a bit as you recalled the incident with a certain yellow bird monster before nodding your head in agreement as Navy chuckled, “eh. no bad bones ‘bout it sweetheart. so yeah, we got two other brothers living with us along with our own maid.”

So they lived in a household with six skeletons total and one maid…Just like you and your masters…

“No wonder you said it was ironic when you saw me,” you spoke up as Navy let out a snort.

 “ya. wouldn’t think for a second these boneheads would hire a human maid, but you seem to hold up well on your own.”

“They’re very dear to me.”

Navy stared up at you as you felt heat slowly rise up to your cheeks as you cleared your throat, “The work is tedious and it’s not a walk in the park, but I do love everyone here. They’re all important to me.” The blue suited skeleton only stared at you in silence before his grin seemed to widen a little before he patted you on the shoulder, “you’re a good kiddo.”

“Um…Thanks I guess?” Navy only chuckled before walking away, “Ah wait! I didn’t finish asking you questions!”  The skeleton halted and turned to face you again, “welp spit out little lady.”

What other questions did you have left to ask him?

You hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “What’s your maid like?” The eye lights in Navy’s sockets shrunk to tiny dots before he let out a low chuckle, “well for starter’s she’s nothing like you.”

You fought the urge to pout, was that an insult?

“for one, she’s not so…sharp tongued, very very sweet,” Navy explained as he walked back over to you, “got some spunk though. she’s no pushover when my bro does the puppy eyes to her and she’s a tad of a worrywart. it’s not her job to worry about us though…but she does.” You watch as Navy fiddles with his tie, “there are some things about you both that are the same. you have this weird sixth sense to know what to do and you do your jobs pretty well. putting your all into your work and smiling when you make those you work for happy. in appearance…she’s like a little bird compared to you probably, the bigger birdie.” A shudder ran down your spine as you stared at him before he chuckled, “well, i think that’s enough questions for today though. see you around kiddo.”

You nod as you watch him walk away from you, your fingers grasping hard around your right wrist.

The rest of the day slowly came to an end as you continued to try and continue your chores, ignoring the urge to scratch at your tattoo. It was merely a coincidence right?

You duck just in time as a vase came hurling out of a room as Master Black’s pterodactyl screech of a war cry echoed throughout the house.

Was it strange that it was only the second day and you had gotten use to this already? You were already starting to run when you heard the heavy slam of the door behind you. You turned to see Maroon wiping his forehead and keeping his bone club through the handles of the door. “GET BACK HERE YOU COWARD! HOW DARE YOU RUN?!”

“YA KNOW EDGY BOY, THIS IS OUR LAST DAY HERE. COULD WE AT LEAST BURY THE HACHET? BE MATURE ADULTS HERE?” Maroon snickered as another cry from Master Black shook the house, “OH! HELLO LITTLE LADY! PARDON THE NOISE.”

“SLAVE I DEMAND YOU MAKE HIM-“

“I’M HAVING A CONVERSATION HERE EDGY BOY. MANNERS, CHILD,” Maroon scoffed as your master continued to hit the door. It was a miracle that it was still standing as you could feel the tension of magic aimed at it. Maroon whistled loudly before draping an arm over your shoulder and quickly pulling you away as you could hear Master Black shrieking for you to help him.

A part of you did want to help him, yet a much larger part of you didn’t want to. Master Black had been consistently moody at Maroon and having watched the red suited skeleton help you also made him go harder on you with some demands. You bit your lip for a moment and opened your mouth to answer, until Maroon spoke up.  

“SORRY EDGY BOY, STEALING YOUR MAID FOR A MOMENT!”

Well, that solved your dilemma.

Master Black let out another screech Maroon picked up the pace and chuckled, “WELL THAT’S GOT HIM ALL RILED UP.”

“Is this really normal for you?”

“EH. YES ACTUALLY. SURPRISINGLY ENOUGH,” he replied before releasing you and fixing his tie, “DON’T KNOW WHY HE HASN’T LEARNED YET THAT HE CAN’T WIN.”

You sighed and nodded your head in agreement, “Sadly enough…Master Black is quite stubborn. Do some of your scuffles…Get out of hand?”

“NAH. WE DON’T GO TOO FAR, LITTLE MISSY. WE GO AT IT, BUT NO BROKEN BONES,” Maroon chuckled before ruffling your hair, “I PROMISE YOU IT’S ALL IN GOOD FUN.”

You pout a bit and run your fingers through your hair as the tall skeleton suddenly leaned over you, startling you a bit to take a step back. Maroon stared at you with a wide grin before chuckling, “SAY LITTLE MISSY, I GOT A QUICK QUESTION FOR YA.”

Something about that grin almost made you think of Master Orange, but the two skeletons were completely different. Master Orange’s grins were formed when he found something amusing or actually thought you did something clever. The one on Maroon’s face made you feel…uncomfortable. His entire body was towering over you and he was too close for your liking. A part of you was almost resisting falling for your flight instinct and stayed still as he continued.

“WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BIRD?”

“…my favorite what?”

“BIRD,” Maroon chuckled and walked away from you to give you a wide grin, “YOU KNOW. LITTLE CUTE FEATHERED THINGS THAT GO TWEET TWEET, SWEETHEART?”

“I-I know what those are!” You yell before crossing your arms and narrowing your eyes towards the skeleton in confusion, “But why would you ask me that?”

“WELL, I’M CURIOUS IS ALL. I MEAN EVERYONE’S GOT A FAVORITE, UH, ANIMAL RIGHT? I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF YOU LIKE A PARTICULAR SORTA BIRD,” Maroon explained before his expression suddenly changed into a pout, “OH, UNLESS YOU UM…DON’T LIKE BIRDS?”

Oh no.

You recognized those slightly lowered shoulders and slowly turning frown in an instant, and your heart was not strong enough to resist damnit! This was just as bad as Master Papyrus and Master Blue! Only you felt even worse as you heard him letting out whimpers.

You knew what bird was your favorite, the sparrow. Yet something inside you was whispering for you to lie…

“I like doves!”

“DOVES?”

“Yes…Doves,” you nod before explaining, “They’re so…pretty. White feathers and are peaceful. I honestly can’t stop marveling at how pretty they look while flying. I like their singing too.” Maroon stared at you in silence and you resisted the urge to swallow the lump in your throat.

Did he think you were lying?

“AH I SEE. SO YOU LIKE DOVES, HM?” Maroon tapped his fingers against his jaw before chuckling. “THANKS FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTION, LITTLE MISSY. IT HELPS-“

You both jump as you hear the sound of wood breaking and you snap your head back to notice Master Black standing in the hallway. The door that had been closed was now in ruins, splinters and a wide gaping hole that you were sure would lead to the door having to be replaced.

And another mess you were sure to clean up later.

He was panting as he dusted off the dust and wood chips off his shoulders until he spotted you both. Maroon let out a low hum as your master formed his two bones before Maroon gently picked you up and set you to stand beside the wall, “DO ME A FAVOR LITTLE MISSY AND JUST STICK CLOSE AS YOU CAN TO THE WALL FOR A QUCK SECOND, WOULD YA?”

“YOU’RE NOT RUNNING AWAY THIS TIME!”

You practically dig your nails into the wall as you tried your hardest to flatten yourself against it as your master ran towards your guest. Master Black charged forward, both arms swinging as he tried to land a hit on Maroon. The dark red suited skeleton merely ducked down and back, flipping in time to avoid your master’s sharpened bones.

Maroon let out a laugh as they both ran down the hallway, “I’LL BE SEEING YOU LATER MISS LARK! HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY MA’AM!”

You merely raised a hand up in a wave as you continued to watch Master Black try to land a hit on Maroon. The sound of porcelain breaking off in the distance made you flinch, “Well…I better get the broom and dust pan,” you sigh.

* * *

They had left sometime the previous night in order to avoid overstaying their welcome in the Classic, Swap, and Fell household.

Lark had been generous and packed them some food to go when they had gotten ready to leave after dinner. The maid was quite well-mannered and polite as she bid them both a good bye as the rest of the skeletons stood by the doorway.

Blaze wasn’t surprised at the heated looks they were getting as they politely kissed Lark’s hand before leaving. She had turned a bright pink and he was certain Edge would have jumped over his brother to get a good swing at Sweets if he hadn’t teleported right into his seat as his brother started up the car.

There had been a good thing in them deciding to leave at night on their last day there and travelling back home through the rest of the day.

It gave them time to straighten up a few…”Friends” they hadn’t seen in a while within the area and to check up on them to be sure they weren’t causing trouble. Classic wouldn’t need to know and the Fell brothers might have a little appreciation they cleaned up a few little messes they didn’t take care of. Besides, the two edgy brothers wouldn’t know he and Sweets were doing a better job in cleaning up the trash…

Blaze grinned a bit as the last whimpering fool that tried to stab his brother scurried away. Sweets let out a whistle as they slipped back into their car. “AH PRETTY NICE TO SEE THINGS AREN’T GOING TO HECK, EH?”

“yeah, and we didn’t have our clothes ripped up,” Blaze chuckled as his brother turned on the engine and they drove off, “our little birdie doesn’t need to know we’ve been up to mischief.”

Sweets only chuckled as he concentrated on the road before sighing, “I COULDN’T SEE IF SHE HAD A TATTOO ON THE UNDERSIDE OF HER WRIST. HER SLEEVES COVERED IT AND, CAN’T MANHANDLE A LADY.”

“course not. i wouldn’t ask you to do that to her. you’re a gentleman, brother,” Blaze shrugged before narrowing his eyes, “it’s a bit too much of coincidence…lark is a pretty common name, ain’t it?” 

All the signs pointed to her, yet every little thing they had learned seemed too obvious to believe right off the bat.

Lark nearly fit the description of Sparrow’s sister…

The same name of course was the starting point. All the little things Sparrow had described her sister to have in appearance matched Lark perfectly. Even the way her voice sounded when she sang the song was on the mark.

Yet it was too damn believable that they had found her so easily.

The most major clues they had to know and find were the tattoo with Sparrow’s name and bird along with the fact she had offered herself up to help their mother with the huge debt they still had.

During their entire stay her wrists were covered by her sleeves and Blaze had caught glimpses of bare skin, but not enough for him to see her whole wrist.

Blaze couldn’t exactly ask Classic how he found the girl without setting off some sort of minefield with the others. Someone had to be completely blind to not notice how all six of them clung to the maid like glue. He gritted his teeth as he tried to piece together what he could about the woman before sighing, “we can’t go off of just this visit…we’ll need to look deeper. for now, let’s just put miss lark as a possibility.”

Beside him Sweets let out a low grunt of agreement before gasping and pressing down on the brakes causing Blaze to hit his forehead against the dash, “what the hell papyrus?!”

“SANS! IT’S VALENTINE’S DAY!”

“…what?”

Sweets turned to him in his seat and pointed to the screen of his phone, sure enough the date indicated it was Valentine’s Day.

Or rather the day was going to end once they got home.

“…shit.”

“POPS WOULD KILL YOU IF HE HEARD YOU.”

“well he ain’t here. think we can find some store still open?”

“I’M FAIRLY CERTAIN THERE IS SOMETHING OPEN. BROTHER, BRACE YOURSELF, I’M GUNNING IT.”

“wait what no-“

The sound of wheels screeching against concrete echoed through the city as they drove as fast as they could to the human city, Blaze resisting urge to cry for mercy.

Whether it be mercy or fate, they had found a jewelry store just in time before it closed. Granted when you had a brother as tall as Sweets begging for the owner to let them do a quick purchase, Blaze was pretty sure it had to be luck they got something for Sparrow. As well as some factor of fear on the owner’s part after his brother cornered her and didn’t take into account just how frightened the poor human woman was at their sudden entry to her store.

“AH, HOME SWEET HOME!” Sweets happily cheered before jumping out of the car and grabbing their bags out of the back seat, “BROTHER WHY DON’T YOU GO ON AHEAD. PRETTY SURE MISS SONGBIRD’S WAITING FOR US.” Blaze only chuckled, but teleported out of his seat before strolling up to the front door.

It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration that he was just as excited to be home as his brother, the image of their maid smiling at them made him grip the little box in his fingers a bit tighter as he opened the door.

“birdie we’re home-“

He stopped as he caught sight of their maid standing in front of him.

Like always, her mismatched eyes focused on him with a wide smile. However something was wrong, her eyes rather red rimmed as she continued to smile at him. His eyes glanced down to the two items she held in her arms. Often seeing her with gifts for them would have perked his interest, but her shaking frame caused more alarm.

“birdie?”

 “W-Welcome home Mister Blaze,” her voice cracked a bit, “I…Hope you had a good trip.”

….What had happened while they were away?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -BONUS SECTION-
> 
> Master Black bursts through the door to come after Maroon, but something seemed… off. Master Black seemed completely different as he walked through the door screeching “SOME… BODY ONCE TOLD ME THE WORLD IS GONNA ROLL ME!”
> 
> You and Maroon didn’t know how to take that, so he picked you up and rushed silently around the side of the house, away from the clearly crazed skeleton.
> 
>  
> 
> HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!


	10. A Forest Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make a new friend in the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND I~~~~  
> WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOUUUUU~~~~
> 
> Hello, greetings, I'm alive, how is everyone! I'msosorryIhaven'tupdatedandchaptersandwritingand-
> 
> Anywho! Here's a new chapter for everyone, please enjoy reading! And be sure to give hugs, cake, and ice cream to my wonderful editor Mitsuko_Elric!
> 
> Inspired by RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid!
> 
> Mobtale's creator is in-sideunder/biteghost.  
> Tumblr: http://biteghost.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Blaze  
> Papyrus=Sweets
> 
> Altertale's creator is friisans.  
> Tumblr: http://friisans.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Pops  
> Papyrus=King
> 
> Dancetale's creator is tea and stars.  
> Tumblr: http://teandstars.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Hip-hop  
> Papyrus=Tango

* * *

The days passed on as usual once Blaze and Sweets returned home, yet you felt like each day dragged on longer than it should. 

You weren’t sick and you could handle yourself just fine with the chores. It was just a heaviness you felt in your head and the light tremble in your fingers when you saw King down the hall. It had seemed your roles were reversed since the Valentine’s Day incident, whereas now you ran away from King while he attempted to follow after you or tried to get your attention.

You refused to tell Blaze and Sweets why you looked so…Defeated when they had come home. You tried your best to offer them a smile and their gifts before excusing yourself up to your room, in hopes that maybe sleep could help give you some relief. You had left the two so quickly you didn’t even notice the white box Blaze had tried to offer to you.

Returning to your attic room, you were quick to discard your uniform and curled up beneath the blankets to sleep.

Sleep came easy, but you did not feel any energy as you dragged yourself out of bed the next morning.

You have made it your number one priority to avoid King at all costs, heck you nearly bulldozed over Hip-hop earlier today when you saw your second tallest master down the hall. Tango had even suffered a mishap of a laundry basket tossed right at him as you made a mad dash to hide in the living room when you heard King call for you.

If the obvious signs directed that King was the cause of your flightiness, you were being terrible trying to keep him out of the others radar.

You didn’t want to rock the boat any harder than it was with all the current issues. The last thing you wanted was for King to feel like you were tattling on him to the others. So you kept quiet and tried to work as if nothing was wrong.

You pause in your dusting to sigh before slowly pressing your forehead against the wall. Your left hand pressed against your chest and you inhaled sharply as you faintly remembered the weight of magic pressing down on you. Without meaning to your fingers gripped the front of your dress and you felt your knees trembling at the heavy weight on you. How King stared down at you with his glowing red eyes and-

“miss Songbird?”

“Ahh!”

Your arms shot up straight in the air at the voice, and you realized you had thrown your feather duster up. You pivoted quickly around and tried to catch it only to wobble as your left knee bent a bit as your right pressed against it. On instinct your arms swung about as your hands try to grab something to save you from the fall.

“careful! Sparrow!”

Pops grabbed your arm in time to stop you before sighing, “easy there miss Songbird.” The skeleton helped you right yourself up before gently patting you on the head, “phew, that was a close call. you’re no fledgling, you’ve been pretty clumsy lately miss Songbird…”

You comb your fingers nervously through your hair as you quickly took a step back from your master and curtsied to him, “I-I’m so sorry Mister Pops. I honestly didn’t notice you were behind me.”

“it’s no problem Songbird, but i was the one who startled you first,” Pops assured you before reaching down to pick up your feather duster. The skeleton tossed it up into the air and caught it by the handle quickly before handing it back to you with a grin.

“you’ve been a bit ruffled lately. are you okay?” he spoke as you took back the duster, “you’ve been a bit…quiet lately. you also look like you’ve been having trouble sleeping.” Your fingers grip the handle as you forced your lips to pull upward, “Oh no, just a little bit of restless nights Mister Pops, nothing too bad.”

Had you been so noticeable?

What a stupid question!

You were weren’t you?

Then again Pops was probably the most observant among the masters you served and probably knew right away something was wrong, along with Blaze and Sweets. You refused to tell him the truth though….King didn’t need any more of a reason to hate you. You had to put more of an effort to make everything normal…

“I’m sorry Mister Pops, but I still have so much dusting to do.”

“Songbird, something’s wrong and I-“

“Nothing is wrong, Mister Pops.”

Pops stopped speaking as your voice rose up a bit to echo through the hallway. From the very start when you worked for them you had never spoken loudly except for the occasionally cries and yelps of surprise that often happened when you were startled. However you never spoke loudly or even interrupted your masters. You breathed in loudly before looking at Pops, “I am fine, Mister Pops. Nothing is wrong, now if you will excuse me, I have to continue dusting.”

A lump formed in your throat as you stared up at the hooded skeleton, taking in how his eye sockets suddenly turned dark. His mouth often in a smile that cheered you up had slowly begun to lower into a frown.

“….alright, sorry little miss Songbird.”

You nod before turning around and hurrying away before Pops could corner you again. You fought the urge to grip the handle of your duster harder at how hurt Pops seemed to look when you left. Pops had been one of the few in the house you felt the safest with, but King…

You stop in your tracks before turning around and heading off towards the back of the mansion. You put the duster down onto a nearby table as you shove open the door and breathed in as you felt the light breeze that blew over the yard.

It had started to get warmer and you were looking forward to the nice spring warmth coming in as you began doing more outdoor chores. You walk over to the clothes line and touch a shirt, feeling the fabric still a little damp before sighing. “…I’m sorry Pops, but I can’t let you know,” you mutter to yourself as you begin to turn around to head back inside.

You stop however when you hear something rustling behind you.

Curious, you turn around and stare in the direction of the forest before taking a few steps until you were standing just a few feet away from the trees. You were still at a safe distance and you moved your body a bit to peer into the thicket. From where you stood you couldn’t see through the trees, but you felt like someone was watching you.

You stand still and stare until you notice something move behind a tree, “Ah…” Whatever you saw seems to have stopped moving and you swore you heard a low growl.

An animal? Ah…They sounded hungry too.

You hesitate a moment before making a soft noise and you lean a bit forward, “S-Stay there. Just…Stay!” You turn on your heel and run back into the house, ignoring the glow of two red lights that peered at your retreating form.

Tango and Hip-hop greeted you as you barged into the kitchen, Tango nearly dropping his coffee and Hip-hop choking on his own at the sudden entry, the two of them were your latest victims in your scurries and you gave them a quick curtsy as you returned to your earlier task.

“MISS SONGBIRD?”

“b-birdie hey.”

“Hello, good day Mister Hip-hop and Mister Tango,” you greeted them before opening the fridge and pushing aside some of the ketchup and milk bottles until you spotted what you were searching for. Both skeletons clear their throats as you turned around with a plastic bag, “UH…WHAT ARE YOU DOING MISS SPARROW?”

“not to be meat or anything, but isn’t it a bit early to start dinner?” Hip-hop questioned as you begin to unwrap the bag to reveal a rather large cut of sirloin. You ignore the question as you grab a random plate from the cupboard and drop the meat onto it. “I’m sorry Mister Hip-hop and Mister Tango, but I’m in a hurry! Good bye!”

Both your masters opened their mouths to speak, but you were already out of the kitchen with the plate before you heard them. You brushed past Blaze who did a double take when he realized the plate in your hands, “birdie what’s-“

“Busy, Mister Blaze! I’ll be back!”

You heard him sigh before yawning loudly and continuing to drag his feet against the carpet as you ran back outside.

You stopped a few feet away from the tree before taking a few steps forward again until you were right in front of it. Blaze’s warning about the forest rang in your head, but you weren’t exactly **in** the forest were you?

Smiling you hear the animal growl again before speaking up, “Ah good you’re still here!” You heard silence and you carefully placed the plate in front of the tree, “I didn’t know if you eat meat, but I grabbed this. If you don’t like it, I could….Wait, what am I doing?”

You were talking to an animal, maybe it was by some stroke of luck they had managed to understand you. Lark would probably make a joke that maybe you were trying to imitate a princess, but you couldn’t take the plate back inside.

You shrug before standing up, “Well, the food’s there for you...If I don’t see it gone, I guess you’re a vegetarian…But um, enjoy.”

Ah, you were still talking…You fling your hands up in the air before smiling again at the tree before doing a curtsy. Might as well keep it up, and no one was watching so you could act like the silly you’ve been. You wave before turning away, “Well, I’ll see ya…Or maybe not, ha ha. Bye.”

You hum quietly to yourself as you made your way back into the house, not aware of sharp boney claws slowly reaching out from the darkness to drag the plate towards them. A soft purr echoing from the tree as it realized what was on the plate and a low snarl as the plate was thrown back out into the light. The sounds of the meat being torn and a grunt of satisfaction echoed through the forest as a light burp was heard.

“….she’s nice…”


	11. The King’s Flowers to a Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flowers are perhaps the best gift to give to you after a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Kicks door down* WE'RE STILL HERE GUYS!
> 
> Lots and lots of work, a con in about two months, and just so much stuff. We have come to bring you another chapter! Please express awesome applause to my dear friend Mitsuko_Elric who not only edited this chapter, but an upcoming story also linked to the bird girls! Now please enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Inspired by RaccoonSinQueen's Six Skeletons, One Maid!
> 
> Mobtale's creator is in-sideunder/biteghost.  
> Tumblr: http://biteghost.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Blaze  
> Papyrus=Sweets
> 
> Altertale's creator is friisans.  
> Tumblr: http://friisans.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Pops  
> Papyrus=King
> 
> Dancetale's creator is tea and stars.  
> Tumblr: http://teandstars.tumblr.com/  
> Sans=Hip-hop  
> Papyrus=Tango

With the promise of spring came more cleaning.

It only seemed natural that you threw yourself to into your work and made sure to keep all corners of the large manor as clean as possible.

There was always so much to do when the weather shifted from cold to warm, and you always set a goal to complete everything within the first month that the season of spring officially began. Heavy comforters and blankets were immediately switched to much lighter ones. You had changed all the curtains in the household with lacy beige drapes that allowed more sunlight into the home. As Pops knew you were claustrophobic, he insisted on storing away anything for you when you started to store a few boxes full with the winter items.

Despite having lied to him and avoiding revealing the truth about his brother's treatment of you, Pops continued to assist you with chores like before and stepped in immediately when it concerned you going to the basement. You made a note to one day repay him and even turned a blind eye when the wiser skeleton of the house tried to help you with chores. He gave you a smile and patted your shoulder in passing, which made you relax.

With so much to do, you were honestly grateful he was interfering a bit. 

Right now, you were wiping down the large windows that went down the hallways of the house. They had collected dust throughout the winter and you were all the more content to wipe them clean. You even opened a few to allow some fresh air into the house after you finished each pane.

You hummed to yourself as you continued to clean only to stop when you saw yellow out of the corner of your eye.

A bright yellow butterfly caught your attention as it lightly hit the glass and fluttered in front of you.

Setting the rag down, you slowly open the window just enough before slowly extending your arm out, palm up, as the butterfly flew in your direction. You smile as the little thing settled on your hand and you brought it down a little to admire it.

Its wings slowly opened and closed as it stayed still on your palm to reveal faint lines making out a pattern of thin veins. The lines were completely black, but you could make out some blue hidden with each vein as you smiled at it.

“Aren’t you a pretty one,” you told it before raising your hand up as it flew off, “Well, back on your journey you go then. Have a safe trip.”

The butterfly fluttered about for a moment before flying off in a new direction as you closed the window with a faint thud. Picking up your rag you began to wipe the windows down again until a voice spoke up from behind you.

“Miss Sparrow.”

You flinched at the sound of his voice and slowly turned to face him as you heard faint footsteps on the carpet heading in your direction. The rag in your fingers slipped out of your grasp to the floor as he continued to make his way towards you.

King immediately halted in his footsteps as he noticed your tense posture and took a step back to ensure an appropriate amount of space between you two. The monarch of the family was wearing a bright red turtleneck and khaki pants, indicating your master had a day off today…Or was working at home. Your teeth lightly gritted against each other as you tried to inhale upon realizing how empty the hallway was and shifted just a step back to add more distance between you.

You both stood in silence, avoiding each other’s eyes until you cleared your throat to finally break the silence, “Was there something you needed…Master King?”

“Oh yes, um…We’re out…of tea.”

A part of you took comfort that he seemed uncomfortable to the more formal way you had addressed him and let out a shaky exhale as you nodded at his words, “Ah, right I do have to go to the city today,” you agreed as the list of what you needed to buy came to mind. The amount of meat was dwindling as well and you would have to get some more for your ‘friend’ out in the woods. You fought back a little smile as you recalled how your new friend managed to give you a purring sound when it saw you hanging up the laundry earlier today.

You both seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

They liked the food you gave them and you felt safer instead of feeling creeped out when you knew they were looking at you. Luckily, your masters hadn’t noticed the lack of meat in the kitchen and the ones who had seen you actively take any out were Tango and Hip-hop when you first did it. The two dancers didn’t say anything about it and seemed to have shrugged it off since then you hadn’t been worried about being told on to Blaze or Pops.

Besides, you weren’t breaking Blaze’s rules.

You weren’t going IN the forest; you just lingered along the trees bordering it and kept your distance enough that you weren’t super close to the tree your friend liked to hide behind.

You nodded to yourself at your mental note before speaking up, “I’ll be sure to add your tea to the list, Master King,” you curtsied to him, “Mister Sweets and I are about to go soon. Was there a certain kind you’d like-“

“I um…I actually,” King quickly took a step towards you making you jump back a bit when he came a little too close to you. Your tall master immediately took a step back again and nervously scratched the back of his head as he cleared his throat, “I…I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind…if I gave you a ride Miss Sparrow.”

“E-Excuse me?”

“T-That is if you want!” King immediately held up his hands to you gesture that was similar to one of surrender and you were certain your expression had changed drastically. A chill ran down your spine and you could feel heaviness in the very spot where your heart was. Without meaning to your hands quickly rested over your heart making the tall skeleton retreat backwards again at the motion, “I…See…I’ll um…I’m sorry to ask such a question…”

After what he did.

You only felt your fingers clench at the fabric of your dress before nodding to him, “I’m sorry. Excuse me Master King; I still have much to do.” You drop your hands down to your sides before kneeling down to retrieve the rag only to withdraw your fingers at once as skeletal fingers picked up the fabric. King stared at the dull yellow rag before neatly folding it and offering it to you. You stared at the fabric offered to you before slowly extending your hand forward; not at all missing the way King studied you carefully.

His eyes were fully trained onto you and you diverted your gaze away from him as you tried to ignore his stare.

Your fingers twitched as you tried to keep yourself from touching him, but froze as your master’s other hand reached out to you and gently grasp your wrist. There was a moment you both froze in the hallway as his fingers held your wrist.

Surprisingly, the touch was warm as his bones gently inched their way until they’re just behind your hand. With a gentle motion King managed to turn your hand palm up before putting the rag into your hands.

“….I’m sorry.”

Instantly King released your hand before standing up and walking past you, leaving you a bit stunned as you continued to hold the rag tight in your fingers.

* * *

 " ** _….I’m sorry.”_**

You were in a slight daze the rest of the day after that moment with King. The apology was given so suddenly and he left before you even had a chance to say anything to him.

Did he mean it?

You stared down at the soapy dishwater in the sink as you tried to understand exactly what your master had tried to do. Throughout the entire dinner he kept stealing glances your way, yet when you tried to catch his eye he looked away immediately. Even if he had said he was sorry he didn’t wait to hear if you accepted his apology or acted any differently towards you.

Maybe he didn’t mean it and had only said it to you to get the guilt of his actions off his chest? Did the others corner him and make him say it?

No, you shook your head and started to wash the dishes again, that didn’t seem right at all.

Oddly enough King seemed to be the type of person to be genuine; you couldn’t picture him succumbing to do something under peer pressure so easily unless it was to his own volition. So that meant he was truly apologetic to you, right?

So…Why was he still keeping his distance?

Your head was starting to hurt and you let out a sigh as you threw the sponge away, “Too many questions tonight Sparrow. Focus on your chores.” Tucking a strand of hair behind your ear you began to grab a towel to dry the dishes yet something caught your eye.

A light blue glass vase sits with a bouquet of white tulips was resting on the end of the counter not too far away from you

You blink in surprise at the sudden vase and wondered how you could have missed it while you were washing dishes. Setting the towel aside you walked over to the vase and studied the bouquet curiously. You rested your fingers against a petal before leaning in to smell the flowers before exhaling quietly. “They’re so pretty,” you whisper to yourself before noticing how there was nothing attached to the vase. You picked up the vase a bit and noted that there was no card underneath it either before setting it back down.

 Strange…Did one of your masters put this here? If so then, was it for you or someone else?

You hesitated before gently taking the vase in your hands and making your way to the island in the middle of the kitchen and setting the vase down. If the flowers were for someone your masters knew then they could easily find it.

If they were for you, well…

“They brighten up the place a bit,” you smile as you touch one of the tulips again and marvel at how pretty they were. The last time you had received flowers it was when you were still working at your previous employers. Even then, the flowers were often poorly kept with their petals falling as you tried to carefully preserve them in water.

Your lips pull up into a smile as you stared at the bouquet, not noticing one of your masters at the doorway smiling as you gazed at the flowers.

The following morning, you were greeted by the flowers still in the same place you had left them that night. You smiled and had eagerly gone into the dining room to thank your masters, only to find that the ones present hadn’t given you flowers. Even the mob brothers seemed confused when you had questioned them later on in the day.

Soon after that, flowers began to show up everywhere in the house, much to your surprise as well as your masters’.

While white tulips were the most common bouquets, there were a few other flowers that were given to you by your mysterious sender.

A day after the white tulips, you found a vase of yellow tulips on the coffee table in the living room with your name typed upon a small card hidden under the vase. When you were cleaning on the second floor, you found a vase filled with daisies resting on top of one of the steps of the staircase. You even had bouquets of red carnations and blue hydrangeas appearing at the doorway heading out to the backyard on alternating days.

As you continued to receive the flowers, you grew more and more curious on whom the sender was.

It was obvious that your masters weren’t the ones who sent the flowers since none of them said it was any of them. Though, who else was there? It had to be one of them, and if it was, why would he hide he was giving them to her?

You gazed at the bright yellow tulips and looked up to see Sweets heading towards you, his hands in his pockets as his expression was oddly blank. “Mister Sweets, are you alright?”

“HM? OH MISS SONGBIRD, GOOD DAY!”

“Are you alright, Mister Sweets?” you repeated as you noticed the tall skeleton was glaring at the flowers on the table beside you, “Um…Are the flowers too much?”

“OH UH NO, NOT AT ALL. THEY’RE VERY PRETTY MISS SONGBIRD!” Sweets answered and reached down to lift the vase up before frowning, “BUT GEEZ…THIS IS A LOT OF FLOWERS. WONDER WHO IT IS THAT’S GIVING THEM TO YOU.”

“I wonder myself,” you sigh before taking the vase from him and looking at the tulips again, “They just started popping up out of nowhere. I would like to thank the person who gave them to me properly.”

Sweets hummed a bit before scratching the top of his skull, “WELL, IT COULD BE SOMEONE IN THE HOUSE. THERE’S NO WAY ANYONE BUT US CAN PUT THEM AROUND.”

No one but them?

Your eyes widen as you slammed the vase back down onto the table before giving Sweets a hug, “Mister Sweets! You’re a genius!”

“I-I’M A GENIUS?”

“Yes! Thank you!” There was one skeleton in particular you had an inkling was the culprit; there had been one skeleton that wasn’t at breakfast the first day you got the flowers. You also wouldn’t have suspected him with your current interactions. You gave Sweets one last hug before eagerly racing down the hall as your master watched you run off with a confused look.

The mobster merely scratched his head before glaring down at the tulips, “…LUCKY BASTARD…I WANTED TO GIVE HER FLOWERS.” An odd glint shined in the mobster's eyes as he could feel his magic stirring the longer he stared at the flowers. It wouldn't be too suspicious that he 'accidentally'- 

“ey, sweets.”

“HM? OH HIP-HOP, WHAT DO YA NEED?” Sweets' immediately straightened up and lowered his magic as he greeted the other skeleton who walked over to him with something draped over his arm, “ER...WHAT’S THAT?”

“this? oh just a little gift for you.”

Sweets raised a brow as Hip-hop unfolded the fabric over his arm and smirked as the taller skeleton peered down at the lettering the shirt had on the front. The word “TRIGGERED” was in bold, black letters against the white t-shirt and Sweets inhaled loudly as Hip-hop snickered, “you don’t like it?”

“YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO GET AWAY FROM ME RIGHT NOW, YA MOOK! ONE, THREE-“

"what happened to two?"

"I CAN'T EVEN!"

Hip-hop only chuckled before quickly teleporting away from Sweets just as the other skeleton tried to reach out and snatch the shirt from him.

* * *

It wasn’t quite hard to find where the next flowers would be popping up next if you went through the patterns. You honestly couldn’t believe how easily you overlooked who your sender was. Then again, you were too busy with so many thoughts and work to really think of a solid answer. 

You couldn’t catch him after dinner since you were so busy clearing the dishes from the table that a confrontation was not possible.

Instead, you chose to keep watch during the night until he came into the kitchen.

Every morning, you were greeted with flowers on the counter, so you could only guess he waited until everyone slept to sneak into the kitchen to place them there. So, with that in mind, you went through your work like normal until you turned off the lights in the kitchen. You left the door heading up to your attic open a crack so you could peer out, and sat on the last step with a determined smile on your face.

Now all you had to do was wait.

The light of the moon shined through the windows and put you at ease compared to how you felt on the basement staircase. You yawned quietly as you could feel the urge to sleep began to weigh you down. It was when you heard footsteps that you jerked your head up and quickly pushed the door a bit to peer out.

A tall figure appeared in your sight and you leaned a bit further only to halt as your hand accidentally pushed the door a bit further. The action allowed the door’s hinges to squeak and the figure froze, “…Miss Sparrow?”

You swallowed loudly before standing up and pushing the door fully to step into his line of sight, “Mister King.”

Your master stared at you in shock as he held the vase in front of him, his cheekbones turning a bright red glow as he stared at you.

“You’re…You’re awake Miss Songbird?! T-This late? It's way p-past bedtime!”

You nodded before walking forward until you were right in front of him as he exhaled loudly. This was perhaps the closest you allowed yourselves to be and you noticed how his fingers grasped the glass vase tighter as you stared at the bouquet. This bouquet was the biggest one you had seen with pink roses in full bloom greeting you as you slowly lifted your head up a bit to stare at King, “It was you…Wasn’t it Mister King?”

The skeleton gulped loudly before offering you the roses, “I…I wanted…I’m sorry. It was not…This is…” King sighed before hanging his head as the red in his face continued to glow a bit brighter, “Miss Sparrow…It was never truly my intention to harm you. I…I am horrible really with humans. You have proven to us you are not a human I should feel so wary of. When I saw you that day in my room I jumped to horrible conclusions far too quickly.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but King continued to talk and shook his head.

“You are by far the kindest and gentlest person I have met. It truly was despicable of me to use my magic on you and to frighten you so much….I have been mistreating you so horribly since you came here and I-“

“I forgive you, King.”

Your fingers reached out and you smiled as your master stared at you in surprise as you felt his bones underneath your hands. The red in his face was less bright and you could faintly see water gathering at the edges of his eye sockets. He was truly sorry for what he had done to you, and you could only give him a smile as you realized you had nothing to be afraid of.

“I forgive you,” you repeated before taking the vase out of his hands and you did a curtsy to him before straightening up, “Maybe…Maybe we can properly get to know each other. A fresh start?”

“…I would like that very much... Miss Sparrow.”

You giggled as your master suddenly gave you a bow and saw a smile appear on his face making your heart flutter.

He truly looked regal with such a smile…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A FLOWER KEY FOR YOUR NEEDS!
> 
> White tulip=Forgiveness  
> Yellow tulip=Cheerful thoughts. Also means, "There's sunshine in your smile." Could also be used to give to someone as a means to say you love them, but you know they don't return your feelings.  
> Daisies=Innocence, loyal love, purity, and also 'I'll never tell.'  
> Red carnations=Admiration, also could mean, "My heart aches for you."  
> Blue hydrangea= In the story is used as a means to ask for forgiveness and also expressing regret.  
> Pink roses=Admiration  
> In case you're wondering how many flowers the rose bouquet had....They were 15 roses meaning, "I am sorry."
> 
> All of the flowers used are a way for King to express himself to Sparrow, sorta gives you a little insight to how he sees her huh?
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors I may have missed while editing.
> 
> There will definitely be more to come such as why does Sparrow refer to her masters as mister? I hope you'll stay tune as I keep writing. I also definitely encourage you to tell me your suggestion on what you want to see our poor songbird to be tied up in with her masters. 
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading and hope to see you soon!


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